By Cara Waters
The owners of Melbourne’s Comedy Theatre have teamed up with a developer to propose building a 23-level tower above the heritage-listed site, using improved back-of-house facilities as a sweetener.
Real estate investment management firm LaSalle Investment Management and theatre owner the Marriner Group have lodged an application for the $211 million redevelopment, which would include expansion of the theatre’s space and construction of an office tower above the rear of the theatre.
An artist’s render of the proposed Comedy Theatre redevelopment.
The site at the corner of Lonsdale and Exhibition Streets has been an entertainment venue since 1842 and the Comedy Theatre has operated there since 1928. It is included on the Victorian Heritage Register and a separate heritage permit is required from Heritage Victoria.
The application proposes “demolition (including partial demolition) of existing buildings and works, construction of buildings and works for a multi-storey, mixed-use building and improvements to the rear of the Comedy Theatre”.
LaSalle head of development and investment Matthew Bailey said the company already owned an office building adjoining the Comedy and that the theatre was the “missing part” of the company’s L-shaped site.
“We have some extra land on top of our car park which has the capacity to take some office accommodation,” he said. “[The Comedy Theatre] need greater technical capability, they need better back-of-house space, better stage space, and being able to combine the development would allow us to get a tower above but also allow them to rebuild the back-of-house area of their theatre to take more better-quality, future-proof shows ...”
A potential interior in the project.
Bailey said the theatre had limitations that meant it was not necessarily able to compete to stage certain shows.
“The only part of the theatre that will be touched is the back of house from the stage backwards,” he said. “We are doing a conservation management plan as part of the process to make sure that whatever we are doing is sympathetic with the theatre.”
He said the redevelopment would enable the Comedy to be profitable and to stage better-quality productions.
“It’s one thing to keep the fabric of the building from a heritage point of view, but I think another thing which is really important is to keep the use of the building,” he said. “What no one wants to see is a theatre that then gets converted into a bar or restaurant or something. You want to actually be able to use it as a theatre going forward.”
The $211 million proposed redevelopment would create an office tower at the rear of the Comedy Theatre.
Bailey said a mixed-use space shared between office workers and theatregoers could enable “next-generation sustainability”.
“Instead of just me building a sustainable office building that gets used during office hours and then it’s empty at night and someone else building a theatre that is used on nights and weekends, if we can build a building which can have multiple users at different times of the day it is much more sustainable.”
The City of Melbourne will assess the application as the referral authority, but the ultimate decision rests with Planning Minister Lizzie Blandthorn. A spokeswoman for the minister said the application would be considered on its merits.
Deputy Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece said the Comedy was one of Melbourne’s most-loved venues.
“Any application to redevelop the site must respect its heritage and hopefully enhance its operations as a theatre,” he said. “As people would expect, council will consider the application very carefully.”
Bailey said he hoped for a decision on the application by the end of the year ideally or early next year.
The Marriner Group was contacted for comment.
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