The 1913 Auditorium Building will be retained and restored as part of a big office redevelopment known as 171 Collins. This is a welcome development, although nothing of the original building remains inside.
The bad news is that 171 Collins involves the construction of a prismatic glass tower on the Flinders Lane side that is 77 metres high, where the ‘advisory’ height limit is 40 metre. That’s nearly double, but not as high as the originally-proposed 88 metres!
Nevertheless, the new building will not only stick out in views of the city from St Kilda Rd and Princes Bridge, but even form a new backdrop to St Paul’s Cathedral when viewed from Flinders Street Station steps.
It is to be clad in ‘fritted’ glass (like the Windsor tower) with the architect’s renderings implying that it would always be the colour of the sky, which of course will only happen in the right conditions.
In 2007, the tower was given a permit by both Heritage Victoria (not appealable) and the former Minister for Planning (which meant that the height limit issue couldn’t be appealed), and it is now being built.
So much for good planning, any process of review, or maintaining the low 40 metre scale of the central retail area.
One of Melbourne’s more distinctive office blocks, latterly the Elizabeth Tower Hotel, is under threat of demolition of the University of Melbourne gets its way. The University has been granted permission to demolish the former headquarters of ‘Australia’s own’ petroleum company to make way for the Peter Doherty Institute for Infectious Disease and Immunology.
The former Ampol House was designed by Bernard Evans & Associates and completed in 1958. Ampol House is architecturally and historically important principally for its dramatic glazed circular corner tower, housing Melbourne’s tallest concrete spiral stair. The tower is accentuated by the flanking blue tiled wing walls topped by flagpoles and a neon sign which originally read “AMPOL”. After the Australian Motorists Petrol Company vacated the building, the building became a budget motel.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) have given the University of Melbourne permission to demolish the building, despite opposition from the City of Melbourne. The building is protected by a Heritage Order and is listed on the National Trust Register.
Rosati’s restaurant at 95 Flinders Lane was established in 1987 in a former factory space that was built in 1896.
Rosati’s was a sensation in its day, a European style eatery, the first to introduce so many things we take for granted today; waiters in white aprons, a menu that offered coffee and cakes as well as alcohol (including exotic imported beers), snacks or full restaurant service. All of this in a huge space kitted out with post-modern panache – mosaic tiling laid by Italian craftsmen and trompe l’oel wall panels of faded framing, bucket chairs reputedly based on designs by Philipe Starke, with a huge ship-like central bar in dark wood veneer. It was the place to see and be seen.
In fact much of the film clip for Kylie’s 1988 single Got to be Certain was filmed there.
In the many years since, Rosati’s popularity has declined, but the remarkable décor remains intact, and in the meantime bars, art galleries and restaurants have proliferated in Melbourne, especially around Rosati’s, including AD/DC lane and Duckboard Place.
Plans have been lodged to demolish Rosati’s for a 10 storey office block, which would destroy the notable interiors, as well as the charming façade, part of the so-far unprotected but intact streetscape of Flinders Lane.
The new building would also back onto Duckboard Place, immediately across the lane from the rear of an apartment development at 108 Flinders Street, where a cafe is proposed. Duckboard Place would not only be totally overshadowed, but cleaned up as well.
Following a closely-contested State election, we now have a Liberal government in power in Victoria. The new Minister for Planning is Matthew Guy, who has acted quickly by removing a recently-introduced clause within the relevant planning regulations that encourage ‘high density’ development along tram lines.
The government has, however, ruled out changes to the Heritage Act. This is an issue that Melbourne Heritage Action would like to see more debate about.
Meanwhile, the City of Melbourne is pressing ahead with a ‘gap’ study of about 100 individual buildings in the CBD, which currently fall outside of heritage precincts, to determine if they are worthy of individual heritage controls, something that is already in process for the threatened Celtic Club.
City of Melbourne are also re-examining the rules, or rather their lack of implementation, which have allowed ever-taller developments on ever-smaller sites, increasing the pressure on individual heritage buildings.
We look forward to these studies reaching the phase of public input in the first half of 2011.
Tomorrow on ABC Radio across Victoria, Jon Faine will host a debate between the Minister for Planning, Justin Madden and the Opposition planning spokesman Matthew Guy.
The debate will be broadcast from 11am, and Jon Faine will be inviting callers to ring in and address questions directly to each MP. With just a fortnight to go until the state election and planning being a key election issue, there’s no doubt that Madden and Guy will be taking planning matters seriously as they seek to secure government for their respective parties.
State Opposition leader Ted Baillieu has today released the Victorian Liberal Party’s position on heritage and planning matters, via an article published in The Age. Melbourne Heritage Action is pleased to see that heritage and planning matters have clearly become an election issue. We await with anticipation to see what reforms the Australian Labor Party will announce in this area.
Melbourne Heritage Action welcomes a robust debate on planning and heritage matters and hope that like the Liberals, Labor can see that much needs to change if Melbourne is to retain its character and heritage essence whilst still encouraging vibrant new architectural design and development.
Melbourne Heritage Action has called for the following matters be addressed by all political parties during the next Victorian Parliament, regardless of whomever takes office.
1. A review of the role and processes of Heritage Victoria. Heritage Victoria is not protecting Melbourne’s heritage as the community expects. The processes of Heritage Victoria are not transparent: reasons for decisions are not made public and its decisions cannot be appealed. The ‘economic use’ clause in the Victorian Heritage Act 1995 (Section 73, Part 1b) must go. Melbourne Heritage Action believes that it is not appropriate for a heritage body to make decisions about preservation of buildings based on economic considerations as presented by developers.
2. Minister’s Powers
Melbourne Heritage Action seeks removal of the Minister for Planning’s automatic powers for projects over 25,000 square metres within the City of Melbourne council area. The 25,000 square metre figure dates from the early 1980′s when such projects were rare, but now they are the norm. The Minister has no such automatic powers in any other part of metropolitan Melbourne, where responsibility is held by local councils. The Melbourne City Council should be the responsible authority for all projects within its borders to ensure transparency and consistency.
3. Planning Scheme Amendments
Melbourne Heritage Action believe there should be no more instant amendments to the Melbourne Planning Scheme by the Minister; all such matters should go to a panel and be available for public scrutiny. This process should be transparent and appealable. Currently this is not the case and major Melbourne city buildings are being demolished by stealth, such as was the case with Lonsdale House.
Melbourne Heritage Action believes that the community has a right to expect that Melbourne’s important heritage buildings will be properly protected by appropriate legislation and transparency in Government planning processes.
“Landmark buildings constructed in the CBD in the past decade should be considered in a heritage study, an action group says.
“In a radical interpretation of heritage protection, Melbourne Heritage Action said Melbourne Council’s study should consider 10 modern buildings of architectural and design importance.”
This Friday 8 October, the ABC’s local Victorian current-affairs programme Stateline will be profiling Melbourne Heritage Action.
Meet some of the people behind Melbourne Heritage Action and learn what it is that we stand for.
Within a few short months, Melbourne Heritage Action has had a significant impact on the heritage protection movement in Victoria, and our membership is growing rapidly. This reflects a strong view across the Victorian community that heritage issues are not being managed well and in this election year many Victorian’s want something done about it.
Melbourne Heritage Action warns that the very “essence and character” of Melbourne is being attacked by ad hoc development and impotent heritage controls.
Read the whole story in today’s Age via their website here.
