Charter Hall Group (Charter Hall or the Group) today announced that it has reached a significant milestone at 140 Lonsdale Street in Melbourne, celebrating the topping out of the future Australian Federal Police (AFP) Southern Command Headquarters.

A ceremony was hosted on site today by the AFP Commissioner, Reece Kershaw; Charter Hall Office CEO, Carmel Hourigan; and Lendlease General Manager, Vic Building, Bill Alexandrakis.

Special guests to mark the significant construction milestone included The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Councillor Sally Capp.

The Lord Mayor said, “This development will play an important role in the revitalisation of Melbourne as we emerge from the pandemic and is indicative of strong demand for office space in our CBD. We are thrilled to support projects like this that not only provide premium space for office workers, but also amenities that contribute to the vibrancy of our city for visitors and locals alike.”

Set to become an innovative urban workplace, the bespoke office tower located at 140 Lonsdale Street will become one of the AFP’s most advanced working and training environments in the country.

With 22,750sqm of net lettable area across 20 commercial office levels, the development will offer modern amenities and a technologically-enabled, fit-for-purpose workplace amidst the backdrop of Wesley Place’s urban park and heritage buildings.

Upon completion, 140 Lonsdale will contribute a unique urban legacy to the Melbourne skyline, seamlessly integrated into the wider Wesley Place precinct.

Charter Hall Office CEO, Carmel Hourigan, said, “Today marks a significant milestone in the delivery of one of the most advanced buildings in Melbourne and one step closer to welcoming more than 750 AFP officers and employees to Wesley Place. We have partnered closely with the AFP on the design of its new purpose-built facility to bring to life its vision for its Southern Command Headquarters and deliver a workplace that enables and supports the AFP’s important work in keeping Australian communities safe.”

AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw said the new state-of-the-art building would help ensure the AFP keep Australians safe.

“This will be at the heart of where the AFP fights crime in Victoria. This site will include the AFP’s own world-leading forensics and digital forensic laboratory, a purpose-built firing range and an entire floor dedicated to the wellbeing of members’ physical and mental health,’’ Commissioner Kershaw said.

“It provides the AFP with operating efficiencies, meaning there will be quicker investigative results and faster intelligence collection, which can be used to disrupt crime and arrest offenders.”

The first-class operations facility, which will be 100% occupied by the AFP on a 30-year lease term, is designed to be a future-focused building that meets the evolving needs of federal policing in Victoria. The development will seek to achieve high sustainability ratings, including a 5 star Green Star rating.

140 Lonsdale Street forms part of the $1.5 billion Wesley Place precinct, which will comprise three future-ready office buildings amongst public landscaped grounds, world-class food and beverage as well as the careful restoration of the Wesley Church and four significant heritage buildings on the 1.1- hectare CBD site.

Lendlease General Manager, Vic Building, Bill Alexandrakis, said, “It continues to be an absolute privilege to work with Charter Hall as their construction partner on this incredible project. Today’s topping out is a significant achievement and milestone for our team as we move closer to completion and the delivery of this transformative, forward-thinking commercial precinct.”

Charter Hall has partnered with Lendlease as its construction delivery partner, with practical completion of 140 Lonsdale Street scheduled for October 2022.