Mart 130 cafe owners forced out of rebuilt site
The couple behind a much-loved Middle Park eatery which burnt down two years ago have dubbed building owner Yarra Trams “destructive and obstructive”, saying a bitter feud has now seen them permanently banned from the rebuilt site.
Inner South
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Yarra Trams has all but confirmed the owners of a popular Middle Park cafe won’t be welcome back at the site when it reopens.
It comes as Port Phillip Council approved a controversial permit amendment to reduce the size of the veranda at the historic building.
Mart 130 was destroyed in a blaze sparked by a faulty power point at the light rail station and accelerated by white ant damage at the historic Yarra Trams-managed building in February last year.
Kate and Richard Anstee, who ran the popular cafe for more than six years, had been locked in a bitter feud over a new lease for the site since prior to the blaze, and had hoped to return to work in the rebuilt cafe.
But on the eve of a mediation hearing at the Victorian Small Business Commission last month, Yarra Trams emailed to say they wouldn’t be renewing the Anstees’ lease.
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“They doubled the rent and only offered us a short lease and then just walked away,” Mrs Anstee said.
“I’m appalled an agent of the government would behave in such a destructive and obstructive way towards a small business.
“They’ve blocked us at every turn.”
Mrs Anstee said the tram authority had ridden roughshod over the couple’s livelihood.
“We’re the victims here — the fire was caused by a power point on their side of the building, which they had failed to maintain,” she said.
“We just wanted to get back in there and start trying to recoup some of the money we’ve lost (during the closure).”
Mrs Anstee said she had been “fobbed off” by several State Government ministers, including Albert Park state Labor MP Martin Foley and Premier Daniel Andrews.
Mr Foley supported the renewal of the cafe in a Facebook post in June last year, promising to “work with PTV and Yarra Trams to make sure this much-loved business returns to its iconic location as soon as possible”.
Mrs Anstee said it now felt like “he’s washed his hands of the issue”.
Mr Foley is overseas and did not respond to the Leader ’s request for comment and a State Government spokesman would not comment about lease negotiations or future plans for the site.
“This is a matter for the tenant and Yarra Trams,” he said.
“We encourage both parties to resolve this matter as soon as possible.”
Yarra Trams refused to answer the Leader’s questions about why negotiations with the tenant had ceased, how much the rebuild cost, whether there would be a tender process to find a new tenant or when the cafe would be able to reopen.
Ms Anstee said reducing the size of the veranda was a loss for the whole community and would leave people waiting for trams without shelter.
“The massive awning used to protect them from sun and rain, even when it was sheeting down,” she said.
“Now they’ll be soaked because it will just dump down on them.”
More than 48 people objected to the amended proposal but it was approved at a council meeting this week.
A Yarra Trams spokesman said the new structure has been “built to meet current building, access and safety standards”.
The company confirmed it would consider tenancy options once the building was occupancy compliant.
Yarra Trams also confirmed a lease agreement with the Anstees could not be met following many months of negotiations.