The 220 metre tall Tower Melbourne designed by architect Elenberg Fraser has been given the go ahead, the project set to become the central Melbourne's tallest residential building.

Victoria’s Planning Minister Matthew Guy approved the residential tower, which is billed as the CBD's tallestresidential tower.

It had sparked controversy for its size, coming in for sharp criticism from city mayor Robert Doyle, who labelled it an over-sized development and claims that State Government jurisdiction for such planning matters is inappropriate.

Guy says the State Government is pushing for greater densities in the city to optimise land use.

The $170 million project is being undertaken by developer CEL Australia, a subsidirary of a Singapore-based Chip Eng Seng Corporation, which expects the tower to be complete in 2016.

The 71 storey building will go up at 150 Queen Street, on the corner with Bourke Street.

Marketing for the project describes the 581-apartment tower as narrow and skinny, sitting on 913 sqm, including pool facilities "evocative of Turkish baths popular in Victorian times".

The building will include one, two and three bedroom apartments of 43 sqm up to 75 sqm three-bedroom apartments.

There will also be office space, communal areas and high-end retail restaurant space for the first floor.

Architect Callum Fraser from Elenberg Fraser describes it as “a city-defining project”, the building design as a “living sculplture’, in a marketing video, viewable on the Age website.

Images: via Fairfax Media

David Wheeldon

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