by Matthew Fagan

What a night!

It was a bit like a soccer match.  Nothing happens and then a goal.  Sheer frustration.   2 1/2 hours of boredom punctuated by moments of madness. Like a friend as a jumbo pilot who said flying was 14 hours of extreme boredom and 3 minutes of terror.

Thank you to all our brave speakers. You did very well.   

Each took a different angle and supported each other, but there was very little aggression and there were few tears.

Jack Kagan, a senior structural engineer stated clearly that the convict bricks and old structure would not support 200 people on the roof, especially dancing. But one councillor said that was a matter for the next planning step. Jack's point was that there would be no next step if the building collapsed.

What I find amazing is that hundreds of people have complained about their huge loss of amenity and quality of life and parking and so much, but the Hotel owner did not attend the meeting and has never even tried to justify the development as being in the interests of residents in any way, just himself.  And the council wants to compromise.  Surely for a proposal to go ahead, the locals have to get something from it?  But it seems developers have the right to do what they please and councillors have an obligation to compromise.   

But then, in the middle of boring deliberations on approving the recommendations from Planner Beard, the one who told no one anything, it was announced that the owner who lives in Brighton or the operator (Australian Venue Corporation) had already filed for relief with VCAT!  

Pandemonium ensued.

What followed was a three-ring circus as the owner/operator had already objected to VCAT about the council decision before the council had even made a decision!  So, whatever they were going to decide, there was an appeal in progress.  No one knew what to do, as they were to decide what to do, and it had already been rejected?   

Now it might seem crazy, but that now means the Council must defend their decision, whatever it might be, and they had yet to make one.  It was Keystone cops!  A 3-minute break. Then a 5-minute break.  Then 20 minutes.  

But Councillor Andrew Bond decided that he already had a solution and had drafted one by editing the original proposal and in essence he proposed:

• 1. a ban all music on the roof apart from 'background' music which was defined as low enough for two people to have an intelligible conversation at 600mm separation.
• 2. reduced the hours of operation to 10pm.

The problem was Cr Bond’s motion was not ready and we had to wait while they edited the text live over 30 minutes and Andrew Bond checked that it matched his draft. More slamming of doors and keystone cops.

Meanwhile Green Councillor Copsey had seconded Andrew Bond, before it was even decided what he had decided.

Councillor Christina Sirakoff made a wonderful speech for five minutes and covered all the points in detail.  Very well prepared and factual.  And it did not admit any alterations at all to the oldest,

most significant, tallest, grandest, and most beautiful historic building and the only hotel in the area, literally the foundation building of Middle Park, home to 5,000 people. So, Cr Sirakoff voted against the revised motion.  So did Councillor Heather Cunsolo. 

The vote was 6:2 (one Councillor was absent) in favour of Andrew Bond's amended motion. The approved motion bans loud music on the roof at all and imposes a 10pm closing time on most nights. 

Either way the owner/operators had already objected, no matter what the motion.  An extraordinary situation. So, we adjourned, fled into the night.  Wondering what had just happened and what exactly it meant.

The outcome is the Council and residents are all off to VCAT and the Council must pay for lawyers, as they are defending their final decision before, they had made it. And whether they like it or not, we are joined at the hip against the owner/operator.   

But if everyone including the council wants to avoid the battle and the expense, why not appeal for register the Middle Park Hotel on the Victorian Heritage Register.  Then there is no need for VCAT! If the John Curtin hotel can be registered and it is one of the ugliest hotels in Melbourne, the beautiful and historically significant and unique Middle Park hotel will sail through this time.

Especially with council support.  And I saw tonight how the Victorian Heritage Register people may  have been intimidated by the owner, the first person they contacted.  We can supply the backbone they need with a massive petition.

So, despite their incredible desire to compromise, the councillors have run up against an owner who will not compromise.   Which is fine because neither will we.  The hotel will be registered and if we, do it right, we will have the support of the council.