Chris Lucas is standing at the top end of Melbourne’s Bourke Street, explaining why he recently bought three historic buildings there and outlining his $45 million plan to create a European-styled entertainment complex complete with restaurant, cigar bar and basement supper club.

One of the city’s most vocal critics of former premier Daniel Andrews, Lucas says the city he loves was smashed during the long COVID-19 lockdowns and is still struggling to recover. National office vacancy rates fell to 14.6 per cent for the six months to July, but Melbourne’s rate increased to a record high of 18 per cent, the Property Council says.