An Apple Store proposed for Federation Square has been labelled a “Pizza Hut pagoda” as the Melbourne (Australia) City Council voted to pressure for a redesign.
At a meeting this week, the city council was told that the proposal has “overwhelmingly been rejected by the community,” with the council receiving about 800 submissions rejecting the design, reports ABC News. Councillors unanimously backed a motion by Greens Councillor Rohan Leppert to lobby the government for a new design for the store and public consultation. However, the council doesn’t have the power to actually block the development from going ahead, according to ABC News.
Apple has three existing Melbourne stores, but they are based in Chadstone, Doncaster and Southland shopping centres. None are in the central city shop like its flagship Sydney locations, one in George Street and the other at Bondi Junction.
However, Apple has been in “lengthy and secretive” negotiations with Federation Square’s management and the state government to take over and demolish the Yarra building in Federation Square. The Cupertino, California-based company plans to replace the unique “deconstructivist” metal building with a new $50 million see-through glass structure.
