Melbourne controversial developments: Tecoma McDonald’s, Dendy Beach Pavilion
From McDonald’s moving into the Yarra Ranges to Miley Cyrus joining the fight against a housing project in Phillip Island, take a look at the controversial developments that have ruffled neighbours’ feathers in Melbourne.
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There has been no shortage of controversial developments in Melbourne over the years.
From acclaimed actor Rachel Griffiths’ naked protest at Crown Casino’s opening to singing superstar Miley Cyrus joining a community campaign against a housing development in Phillip Island, here are some of the most controversial development applications that have stirred community passion.
MCDONDALD’S IN TECOMA/HEALESVILLE
Despite a huge community campaign, including protest rallies and rooftop vigils, the first McDonald’s in the Dandenong Ranges opened in Tecoma in 2014.
Now the fast-food giant has applied to build another new restaurant in the Yarra Ranges — this time in Healesville.
McDonald’s has submitted a planning application to Yarra Ranges Council in its bid to become a tenant at an already-approved development at the gateway to the rural township.
But the Yarra Valley community won’t let the golden arches in without a fight.
Jimmy Dunne, who runs the NO McDonalds/NO Inappropriate Developments in Healesville Facebook page, said the township was unique and a Macca’s eatery was not appropriate.
PIEDIMONTE'S SUPERMARKET DEVELOPMENT
A planned mega retail and residential redevelopment at the supermarket site in the heart of Fitzroy North was rejected by Yarra councillors in May.
Piedimonte’s wanted to transform its Best St site into a seven-storey complex with 66 apartments, a three-level underground carpark, a refurbished supermarket, a rooftop terrace, a cafe and a bottle shop.
Yarra Council received more than 600 objections to the project — believed to be a record — compared with eight submissions in support.
The application is now set to be decided at a VCAT hearing.
DENDY BEACH PAVILION
The $10.6 million plan to rebuild and expand Brighton’s “asbestos riddled” lifesaving club has been on the table since 2012 but has suffered long delays.
According to an update on the Bayside Council website, the council is awaiting the outcome of an appeal to a 2019 VCAT decision on the planning application for the Dendy Street Beach masterplan in the Victorian Supreme Court.
The hearing is set for late November. The council did not instigate the legal proceedings.
Meanwhile the council said the long-awaited works to upgrade lifesaving and visitor facilities at the beach were moving forward with the opening of an Expression of Interest (EOI) process.
“Council will shortlist the expressions of interest but not progress further pending the outcome of legal proceedings commenced by objectors to the project,” the update read.
PHILLIP ISLAND HOUSING
A vocal community backed by singing superstar Miley Cyrus defeated a Baillieu Government plan to build 200 houses at Ventnor on Phillip Island coastal farmland in 2011.
Cyrus used Twitter to support a community campaign to preserve the tiny township, which she frequently visited to see the family of her then-boyfriend Liam Hemsworth.
Bass Coast Mayor Veronica Dowman told the Herald Sun at the time it was wonderful to have the US celebrity’s backing to highlight the issue, but she believed it was the community’s action and then Planning Minister Matthew Guy’s preparedness to listen that led to the change of heart.
CAPITOL GRAND SOUTH YARRA
What was then the tallest building to be built outside of Melbourne’s Central Business District was given the green light back in 2015, despite objections from Stonnington Council.
Developer Larry Kestelman won a permit to build the $500 million Capitol Grand skyscraper at the corner of Chapel St and Toorak Rd in South Yarra.
The plans were knocked back by the council in 2014.
VCAT gave Mr Kestelman approval to build two towers of 10 and 49 storeys — with the highest peak reaching 179.8m — to house 457 dwellings, two floors of shops and a five-level basement car park.
Actor Charlize Theron flew into Melbourne’s Grand Prix to promote the luxury development as part of a multimillion-dollar marketing blitz.
PERCY TREYVAUD MEMORIAL PARK DEVELOPMENT
In September Leader revealed Stonnington Council is threatening some of its own ratepayers with a $230,000 legal bill if they don’t walk away from a Supreme Court challenge impacting their homes.
The council applied to the court to get covenants removed to progress its redevelopment of Malvern East’s Percy Treyvaud Memorial Park, which includes a $26.7 million indoor stadium.
Chadstone Bowls members Terry Foster, Janine Halls and Wyn Hewett shot to international stardom in 2017 when their video adaptation of pop icon Beyonce’s hit song All the Single Ladies attracted more than one million views on social media.
The two minute clip sees the leading ladies shake their hips and sing about their club’s stoush with the council over its bid to build the sports stadium at their home site.
NARRE WARREN NORTH AND DOVETON MOSQUES
Furious neighbours vowed to take the fight against controversial plans for two mosques in Casey to the state planning tribunal.
Chaotic scenes erupted outside the gallery after Casey councillors voted to approve the two applications in July 2019, with several residents hurling insults at councillors.
The council received almost 800 objections to Saarban Islamic Trust plans for a mosque at 365-367 Belgrave-Hallam Rd in Narre Warren North.
The other mosque, proposed by Doveton Afghan Islamic Centre and Omar Farooq Mosque, includes a morgue on the northern side of the building with a “maximum of four deceased people on the premises at any time”.
CROWN CASINO
Acclaimed actor Rachel Griffiths took security staff by surprise when she ripped off a kimono to reveal her semi-naked body in front of crowds of people, including Premier Jeff Kennett and the media, at the opening of Crown Casino in 1997.
She declared the government of the time had “succeeded in raping our state of its dignity, compassion and sense of community”.
The star years later said the protest wasn’t so much an anti-gambling stance as a comment on what had happened to Melbourne’s sense of community.
APPLE STORE AT FEDERATION SQUARE
Heritage Victoria rejected a controversial application from the tech giant in 2019 to build a flagship store in Federation Square.
“If the application were approved, and the Yarra Building demolished and replaced with the proposed building, it would result in an unacceptable and irreversible detrimental impact on the cultural heritage significance of Federation Square,” the decision said.
The authority said the store would be “visually dominant”, detracting from the design of the square and encroaching into public space.
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