Plans for $40m seafood one-stop shop in West Melbourne
A $40 MILLION “seafood emporium” in West Melbourne would house a fresh produce market, hawker market and restaurants under plans submitted to the city council.
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A $40 MILLION “seafood emporium” in West Melbourne would house a fresh produce market, hawker market and restaurants under plans submitted to the city council.
The proposal by global company Aqua Star aims to create a seafood hub for shopping as well with outdoor dining and a tavern on a mezzanine floor, and could rival the Sydney Fish Market.
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Aqua Star already operates the Tasmanian Pacific Oyster Company on the development site on Kensington Rd near the Dynon Rd junction.
The 11-storey project proposes market stalls on the ground floor and then hawker-style stalls on the second.
Six floors of carparking would be topped with restaurants and terraces on the eighth and ninth floors.
Much of the market plans are based on similar operations in Asia, especially Taiwan.
“A particularly unique experience will be that customers will be able to purchase fresh seafood on the ground level and have it prepared in one of the upper level restaurants for immediate consumption on the premises,’’ the application, prepared by Environmental Resources Management, said.
Council planning chairman Nick Reece said the proposal had yet to be considered by council officers.
“It will be assessed to see how the impacts on residential areas can be properly managed,’’ Cr Reece said.
The seafood project would be located opposite the $500 million West Melbourne Waterfront development to be created on the banks of the Maribyrnong River.
The mixed-use Perri Projects development, approved last year, will be home to 500 apartments in buildings up to 14 storeys high, tiered to take advantage of river views Cr Reece said a seafood market would be a great asset for Melbourne.
“The Sydney Seafood Market regularly features as one of the top things to do in Sydney.’’
“Melbourne is a busy port city and we do have a strong local fishing industry.’’
“This also has the potential to serve the west of Melbourne. Most Melburnians would not realise how much available exists from Docklands all the way to the Maribyrnong River.’’
Aqua Star also runs the nearby Melbourne Seafood Centre, also on Kensington Rd, a distribution point for much of the city’s daily catch.
The Tasmanian Pacific Oyster Company has occupied the proposed development site for seven years. Its operations are soon to move to nearby Radcliffe St.