Apple Store Federation Square Revised Design

Apple cancels Apple Store in Federation Square

Demolition approval for the Yarra Building in Federation Square has been blocked by Heritage Victoria and Apple has announced that it has cancelled plans for the store.

Apple has cancelled plans to build a new store in Federation Square in Melbourne after Heritage Victoria refused an application to demolish the Yarra Building that’s already on the site. The new store was planned to be a flagship store and the most significant store in the Southern Hemisphere.

Federation Square applied to Heritage Victoria for a permit that would allow the Yarra Building to be demolished but that application was denied due to thousands of objections from Melbourne locals. 

Federation Square Melbourne

Apple told The Age that it was disappointed it would no longer be able to build a retail store at Federation Square. 

We remain committed to serving our customers in Melbourne and across Australia

Apple Australia

Apple announced plans for the Federation Square Apple Store in December 2017. The original design was compared to a Pizza Hut store and there was vocal community opposition in selling out the community space to a global corporation.

Apple Store Federation Square Melbourne – Original Design

In July 2018 Apple updated the design with input from the Melbourne City Council Victorian Government and Federation Square which was purported to blend more in with the local environment. This did stop the community objections that ultimately led to the store cancellation.

Apple cancels Apple Store in Federation Square