Rosemaur Gallery’s $500m gallery will enhance Dandenong Ranges, hearing told

Backers of the Rosemaur Gallery, which aims to display a $500m art collection, say it will mark a world-class cultural attraction in the Dandenong Ranges.

Melbourne billionaire Lindsey Hogg in front of a selection of works from his $500m art collection. Picture: David Caird

The proposed Rosemaur Gallery would introduce a world-class cultural attraction to the Dandenong Ranges region and greatly enhance its overall tourism credentials, a planning hearing has heard.

Backers of the proposed gallery, which aims to house a $500m art collection, have argued the Dandenong Ranges lacks a major gallery and Rosemaur would round out the area’s tourism offering.

A planning hearing into the proposed galley restaurant and function centre, which would display an art collection massed by Melbourne billionaire Lindsey Hogg, started in Melbourne on Monday.

Mr Hogg is seeking to build the $50m facility in a green wedge zone but needs special permission to do so.

An artist impression of the Rosemaur Gallery. Picture: Architecture Associates

Barrister Juliet Forsyth, representing Rosemaur, said the state’s planning laws supported the development of “outstanding facilities” in green wedge zones.

“This part of Victoria does not have a major gallery despite the fact that the Dandenongs are well known for its artistic community and are obviously attractive as a tourist destination,” she said.

“Rosemaur will be perfectly situated to capture tourists from the Dandenong Ranges region and create a real links to other attractions within Casey and Cardinia.”

Ms Forsyth stressed Mr Hogg’s collection – regarded as the largest private art collection in Australia – will leave Victoria if the Harkaway location in not approved.

Opponents of the development argue it is out of place in Harkaway and will destroy the area’s rural character.

Michael Mackinnon, whose property adjoins the proposed location, said planning documents showed the gallery would attract up to 2000 visitors a week and there was no process to determine how many extra people may only visit the planned gardens.

An artist impression of the Rosemaur Gallery. Picture: Architecture Associates

The former MinterEllison lawyer also noted planning documents showed the gallery was only required to display a selection of its works over half its wall space for as little as 90 days per year.

Mr Mackinnon said this called into doubt whether the proposed development could be considered of “state significance”.

“To couch the obligation around display as no more than a selection of works doesn’t… constitute a display of state significance,” he said.

The opening day of the hearing also revealed Mr Hogg’s collection includes works by British artists including Christopher R. W. Nevinson, Laurence Stephen Lowry and Sir William Orpen.

Australian artists include Sidney Nolan, Brett Whiteley and John Brack.

A letter from UK art dealer Ivor Braka, which valued the collection at more than $500m, said “one can genuinely say without exaggeration that practically all of the works in Mr Hogg’s collection would not look out of place in a world class museum, such as The Tate, the National Museum of Art in Washington or Australia’s own National Gallery”.

Mr Hogg plans to essentially gift his collection to Victoria by housing it in a charitable trust whose purpose would be to ensure it is permanently displayed at Rosemaur.