As Melbourne endures intermittent lockdowns, a high-profile, permit-approved Doncaster development site will be used for COVID testing before making way for an apartments tower.

Fitzroys’ Shawn Luo negotiated the off-market six-month lease at 584-588 Doncaster Road to 4Cyte Pathology at $10,000 gross per month.

The triple-fronted former Volkswagen dealership site spans 8,176sqm at the corner of Elgar Road on Doncaster Hill, just 150m away from Westfield Shopping Centre.

Positioned in a highly-developed pocket of the suburb, it has approval for an 11-level project designed by high-profile architects Hayball comprising 260 apartments and ground floor retail spaces.

“4Cyte’s ongoing expansion during the pandemic presented an opportunity for the owners to capture holding income from the site while they go about planning the development,” Luo said.

4Cyte Pathology is prominent along Australia’s eastern seaboard, and now has 33 COVID testing sites across Melbourne and a further three sites in regional Victoria.