In a win for community organizers whose interests lie in protecting public space, a proposed Apple flagship store design in Melbourne, Australia's Federation Square is no more. This past week, Melbourne heritage officials struck down a plan to demolish the Yabba building, which, should it have faced demolition, would have provided the land for the flagship store. Following this decision, Apple rescinded their plans.

A bird's eye view of Federation Square in Melbourne, which hosts tons of cultural community events throughout the year.

In the official notice of refusal to grant a permit to the owners of Federation Square, who had applied to demolish the current Yabba Building and construct a new structure designed by Foster + Partners , the reasons for refusal state that "if the application were approved, and the Yarra Building demolished and replaced with the proposed building, it would result in an unacceptable and irreversible detrimental impact on the cultural heritage significance of Federation Square." The notice also states that "the negative impacts of the proposal are not outweighed by the benefits, including the economic benefits."

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A view of the original proposed plan.

Following the December 2017 announcement that Apple had planned to set up shop in the square, local community members quickly banded together to form Citizens for Melbourne and set up the 'Our City, Your Square' campaign. Spread over three petitions on changerg, the group amassed over 100,000 signatures in favor of saving the square's Yarra Building, which is home to the Koorie Heritage Trust—a non-profit that acknowledges and pays respect to the aboriginal community.

The 'Our City, Your Square' campaign is quick to note that their objective lies in protecting public space from corporate takeover—it's neither about Apple, nor Foster + Partners's design. "We need to keep our precious public places for people. A functioning democracy requires public places for protest and celebration. The issue is not with Apple Corporation. The issue is with an Apple megastore taking over our town square," states the organization's website. "The Apple store proposal would have changed not only Fed Square’s physical form but also its character; it would have undermined its civic and cultural purpose. Melbourne without a town square is Melbourne without a civic heart," says Citizens for Melbourne president, Tania Davidge, in a statement to the Architects' Journal .

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The second iteration of Foster + Partners's Apple store design.

Foster + Partner's original design, revealed at the end of 2017, drew some public outcry, so the AD100 design firm went back to the drawing board, taking into account the community feedback gathered through a steering committee. The second generation of the design, revealed last July, made strides to better engage with the existing surrounding architecture, and provide 5,300 square feet of public space. But the changes were apparently not enough to appease the community; had the structure been built, Melbourne Heritage officials state in the notice of refusal that it would be "visually dominant in relation to the existing buildings," "detract from the design language of the existing buildings and public square," "encroach into the public square," and "diminish the experience of enclosure within the public space."