Packer Onboard Orchard Piper’s Kew Precinct Plans

A James Packer-backed consortium has unveiled plans for a major mixed-use redevelopment at Kew Junction in Melbourne as Orchard Piper looks to transform a former supermarket site into an urban village-style precinct.

The project, dubbed Kew Village, will occupy a 6800sq m-plus site spanning multiple titles at Princess and Brougham streets, replacing the recently closed Leo’s Fine Food & Wine supermarket and adjoining car park with a large-scale residential and retail offering.

The developer acquired the site in June of last year along with Packer’s NPACT, paying a reported $30 million for the 6835sq m parcel.

Plans filed for the site with the City of Boroondara show four buildings with a total of 194 homes, making it one of the largest apartment developments at Kew and a significant density uplift for the suburb.

The homes include one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments alongside townhouses, low-rise homes and penthouses.

The development is targeting owner-occupiers and downsizers looking for premium product in a tightly held market.

At ground level, the scheme proposes a curated retail and hospitality precinct of 19 tenancies, including shops, cafes and restaurants designed to re-anchor Kew Junction as a destination village.

▲ A rendering of the James Packer-backed proposal byOrchard Piper’s for the Kew Village precinct.

A new double-storey supermarket is planned as part of the retail mix to replicate the high-quality produce offering of the former Leo’s store and maintain a key local amenity.

The proposal includes 434 car spaces—exceeding planning requirements—with allocations for residents and visitors to support the retail component and broader precinct activation.

Design for the project is being led by architecture practice Wardle, with Oculus engaged on landscape architecture and urban design input from Andy Fergus.

The masterplan has a village-style layout incorporating buildings, laneways and landscaped public realms to create a connected precinct rather than a single monolithic form.

▲ The proposal could become the tallest structure between the Melbourne CBD and Box Hill.

If approved in its current form, the development would exceed existing planning controls, including height limits of up to 16 storeys, and could become the tallest structure between the Melbourne CBD and Box Hill.

Orchard Piper director Luke McKie told media that as a long-term Kew resident he understood it was important to support Kew Junction’s evolution from a busy intersection to a connected and active village.

“We have conceived this project as a new heart for Kew, introducing a curated mix of destination retail and hospitality that better meets the community’s needs, including a high-quality produce offering comparable to the much-loved Leo’s,” he said.

“This project will re-centre and expand Kew’s retail heart.”

Packer has also supported Orchard Piper for its high-profile $400-million One Toorak Place mixed-use development in the affluent Melbourne suburb.

The billionaire son of the late media mogul Kerry has also increased his exposure to the apartment sector through Sydney-based developer Time & Place, supporting a pipeline of projects across Mosman, Surry Hills and Potts Point.