Twin skyscrapers awash with greenery are set to loom over Melbourne's Carlton Gardens, after the $250 million project passed a major planning hurdle.
City of Melbourne officers say they will not object to a 64-level development at the site of the Telstra Exchange at 288-326 Exhibition Street.
![Artist's impression of twin skyscrapers proposed for the Telstra Exchange site on Exhibition Street.](/web/20170512033826im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/2/u/k/f/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gw2u8e.png/1494499202785.jpg)
But they issued an unusual warning.
The council's green infrastructure experts said plants installed high up in the towers may struggle to survive the city's hot summer winds.
![A silver sky bridge will link the towers.](/web/20170512033826im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/2/u/k/m/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gw2u8e.png/1494499202785.jpg)
"There are no buildings within the City of Melbourne with a similar height of green infrastructure," they said.
Images submitted by architecture firms Fender Katsalidis and Cox Architecture show the two towers would be linked by a silver sky bridge and the lower levels covered with greenery, including mature trees.
Malaysian developer SP Setia battled fierce competition to buy the site for a hefty $101 million a year ago.
At 241 metres, the towers would be just 10 metres short of the Rialto.
Inside, more than 300 apartments are proposed, plus 500 hotel rooms and significant office and retail space.
Other facilities would include a grand ballroom, yoga studio and day spa.
Originally, the towers were proposed to be 70 levels but the plans were reduced following a change in CBD planning laws last year.
Despite the sensitivity of the location, just 150 metres from Carlton Gardens, City of Melbourne planners said they would not oppose the development – describing it as "high quality" and "visually interesting".
Councillors will vote whether to accept the planners' recommendation to wave through the project next Tuesday, with a final decision on the approval to be made by Planning Minister Richard Wynne.