Melbourne’s famous Hosier Lane could be the site of a brand new hotel development if the project is given the green light by city council.
Hosier Lane is an integral part of Melbourne’s artsy culture, so it’s understandable that there’s been a fair bit of backlash to the proposed new development.
So far, 27 objections have been lodged with the City of Melbourne, but it seems unlikely that they will stop the development getting the go-ahead.
If approved, the three-story heritage-listed building will be partially demolished, making room for an eight-storey hotel complex to be whacked on top. The new development seeks to include 36 serviced apartments and a number of ground-level shops, according to owner Parassets.
“The development will provide an appropriate level of internal amenity and will not introduce unreasonable adverse amenity impacts to the surrounding sites,” a report to city councillors said.
Thankfully, the precious laneway street art will be saved if the project gets the green light, but a majority of the heritage-listed building will be demolished, according to the Herald Sun.
Although any sort of development in the much-loved area is pretty frowned upon by Melbourne locals, city council planning portfolio chairman Nicholas Reece assured residents that the significance will be considered in the application.
“This is Melbourne’s most famous canvas so not just any building will do…we will want to ensure the character of the precinct is preserved,” he said.
“From the city’s perspective, it’s an important heritage and street art precinct so any development in this location needs to respond to the area’s local character and history.”
Melbourne City Council will meet on Tuesday to discuss the potential approval of the permit. If approved, the development is estimated to cost $12 million.
