4 May 2023
Quite shocked to see that VCAT has actually said no to something on the basis of a bad heritage outcome – in this case facadism of the 1889 Royal Hotel in Clifton Hill. The developers wanted to keep only the two main walls, and given the lower buildings all round, the token ‘preservation’ would have been horribly obvious. Apparently Yarra Council overturned their officer’s recommendation to approve – Yarra officers dont mind facadism even though their own heritage policy clearly says it’s a bad thing. And the hotel currently houses the type of people who could easily be homeless, best use of all surely ! Photos The Age, plans via Graeme Butler.
Storey of Melbourne 