The proposed Apple flagship store in Federation Square will no longer go ahead following a decision by Heritage Victoria. On Friday, April 5 the organisation rejected an application by Federation Square management to demolish the Yarra building and construct an Apple flagship store in its place.
The executive director of Heritage Victoria, Steven Avery, said the proposed demolition and new store would “result in an unacceptable and irreversible detrimental impact on the cultural heritage significance of Federation Square".
The decision follows a series of community campaigns,including those organised by Our City, Our Square. The volunteer-led group created an online petition and a symbolic crowd-funding campaign and lobbied Melburnians to show Heritage Victoria their support for Federation Square as it is. More than 2,300 submissions were made that rejected the proposed Apple store.
In response to the decision by Heritage Victoria, the state government announced it would launch a review to reconsider the future of Federation Square. The plans to demolish the Yarra building were first announced in December 2017, with the Apple store to open in 2020.