V-Leader's 582-bed Russell St tower heads three CBD filings
Three proposals sit in the City of Melbourne monitor as Applied: a 32-storey, 582-bed student tower, a 10-storey hotel and a 14-storey office.
V-Leader has a 32-storey student tower with 582 beds before the state at 226-236 Russell Street, the biggest of three Melbourne CBD proposals now showing as Applied in the City of Melbourne’s development monitor. None is approved.
Why it matters
The Russell Street scheme is the one with a named developer on the record. The Urban Developer reported on 24 August 2026 that V-Leader had applied to the Department of Transport and Planning. The outlet says V-Leader bought the corner site in 2022 for $50 million, and the plans keep the four-storey heritage Continental Hotel at the base.
The Minister for Planning, not the council, is the determining authority for the Russell Street application (monitor reference TPMR-2026-14), so the decision sits with the state.
The other two filings add hotel and office supply in the core. No applicant is named on the record we could access for either, so we have not attributed them to any developer.
The numbers
- 226-236 Russell Street: 32 storeys, 405 student rooms and 582 beds, with retail at the lower levels and 1,367 sqm of internal communal space, per The Urban Developer. Architect is Wardle Studio.
- 209-231 Little Collins Street (TP-2026-543): 10 storeys and 208 hotel rooms.
- 9-29 Swanston Street (ID-2026-2): 14 storeys and 24,897 sqm of office.
All three are listed as Applied. That means lodged and proposed, not permitted. The monitor shows no lodgement dates, decisions or costs of works for any of them.
What’s next
Each application now goes through assessment by its responsible authority. The two council-assessed proposals, Little Collins Street and Swanston Street, would normally be advertised to neighbours before a decision, and objectors can take a refusal or conditions to VCAT.
The Russell Street proposal follows the Ministerial route, so watch the state register for a decision or amended plans.
We will update when the Little Collins Street and Swanston Street applicants are confirmed. More Melbourne project coverage sits on the Victoria hub.
What we checked
What we checked ourselves, and where you can check it too.
- Public recordThe City of Melbourne monitor lists TP-2026-543 (209-231 Little Collins Street, 10 storeys, 208 hotel rooms) and ID-2026-2 (9-29 Swanston Street, 14 storeys, 24,897 sqm office) as Applied, with no applicant shown.View the record on data.melbourne.vic.gov.au