Plans to develop Melbourne’s Palace Theatre into a tastelessly huge 5-star luxury apartment complex have hit a snag in Planning Minister Matthew Guy. For now it appears the proposed demolition and redevelopment of the site into luxury apartments won’t be moving forward; that is, until the developers amend their plans.
Speaking to ABC News over the weekend, Minister Guy took a line from The Castle to address the issue, which bears a lot of parallel’s to the classic Australian film. “The developer is dreaming,” he stated, “if he thinks the government is going to approve this in the form in which it has been submitted,” referring to the eyesore of a building that has been proposed for when the iconic venue is knocked down. “It is too tall, it is in the wrong location.”
Before we can breath a collective sigh of relief, it’s important to remember that the developers can always rethink their proposal and resubmit it. It may only be an issue of reducing the height before it will get the tick of approval, so Melbourne’s live music scene isn’t out of the woods just yet.
Music Victoria have thrown their weight behind the online campaigns set up to raise awareness of the situation, with CEO Patrick Donovan making a public statement yesterday, calling attention to the negative effects of losing a mid-sized venue from an industry that benefits the state so much.
The Save The Palace Facebook group has now attracted nearly 25,000 followers in just four days, while the petition aimed at preventing the demolition of the Palace, aimed at Minister Guy, is sitting just under 15,000 signatures.
(Via Tone Deaf)
