Mosman Council faced backlash over plans to turn historic Boronia House into beauty salon

A plan to transform a former lavish wedding hotspot into a hospitality venue is in turmoil – with a Sydney council set to instead allow the site to become a beauty salon. Find out why.

A photo of the historic venue.

A plan to transform a former lavish wedding venue into a new hospitality venue is in turmoil – with a local council instead set to allow the site to be turned into a privately run beauty salon.

Mosman Council is facing scrutiny over its decision for the future use of Boronia House after spending almost two years funding development plans to revive the former wedding hub into a new dining destination.

Boronia House has stood vacant for the last two years after former tenant Mosman Catering – which hosted weddings, high teas and functions at the site – pulled out of its long term lease with the council due to the impacts of the Covid pandemic in 2021.

Hotel Mosman – located next to Boronia House – had applied to the council to take on a new lease for the site with a vision of creating a new family friendly offering including outdoor dining areas.

But it is understood the council rejected Hotel Mosman’s offer during a confidential session of this month’s council meeting in favour of a separate lease offer by a privately run beauty business.

Boronia House dates back more than 130 years.

Hotel Mosman’s long-term owner Brendon Barry had hit out at the council decision, saying the decision could “cost the community” a chance for the venue to be revived as a social gathering space.

The council is facing further questions about why it chose to accept a tender from a beauty business after spending almost two years on a $337,000 development application for Boronia House to remain a hospitality venue with new and upgraded outdoor seating and decking.

A photo of the site during its former use as a wedding and high tea venue.

Mosman Council declined to comment about why it rejected Hotel Mosman’s offer.

Mr Barry said his offer to the council for the lease included spending up to $1m on refurbishments to the historic building.

“We had 4000 customers who wanted us to take on the lease and we’ve been blindsided by the council’s decision,” he said.

“Boronia House is such a historic site that everyone should enjoy and even the terms of the lease said it should have public use which now isn’t going to happen.

Hotel Mosman publican Brendon Barry.

The council’s development plans included outdoor dining at the site.

“We were going to do an open day once a year as well as have space for groups including Rotary to have their meetings so they wouldn’t constantly have to be chasing room hire.

“People could have gone outside on the deck with prams, it would have been family friendly – we thought it would be a great addition to Mosman.”

While the proposal for outdoor dining at Boronia House had supporters within the community, it was also subject to opposition from some residents.

A majority of concerns came from residents within the neighbouring Bridlewood Gardens apartment building – located to the east of Boronia House - with multiple residents lodging submissions to the council raising concerns over potential noise.

Boronia House is listed as a state heritage item.

There were also concerns outdoor dining could have exacerbated “years of problems suffered by residents” in the area including alleged “anti-social behaviour, drunks, fights, underage drinking and N20 inhalation”.

The council’s planning panel – however – supported the development, stating the proposed deck was “considered an appropriate form of development to enhance the vitality and appreciation of the building”.

Harvey Robson, from the owners corporation at Bridlewood Gardens, rejected claims the body corporate of Bridlewood Gardens building had lobbied the council to reject Hotel Mosman’s lease offer.

“We would have been happy with the outdoor dining provided there were controls in place to limit the noise and control sound,” he said.

“We never got into further discussions with Hotel Mosman to reach a compromise before the lease offer was put in.

“Had there been compromise, I think we could have come to an agreement where everyone would have been satisfied.”

Mosman Council considered the lease during a confidential session of this month’s council meeting.

Mosman Council, in a statement, said the future use of Boronia House has been the subject of an open and competitive process.

“As a result discussions are currently underway to finalise an acceptable lease agreement,” a spokeswoman said.

“It is not appropriate for council to comment further until an agreement has been finalised.”

The state heritage-listed Boronia House venue dates back more than 135 years and is recognised as a rare and “excellent” example of late Victorian era villas built on the north shore.

Records show Mosman Council acquired the building in 1952 for £15,750, used it as a library until the late 1970s, before it was repurposed into a restaurant and reception centre in 1985.

Hotel Mosman’s offer to the council included hosting gatherings, serving coffee and teas, lunch and dinners and accommodating charity events such as Probus and Lions.

“As custodians, we would aim to have Boronia House firmly integrated as part of the community as an asset to be shared by all,” the offer stated.