The building housing Williamstown’s iconic Titanic Theatre Restaurant is for sale, but the restaurant will continue to operate until at least 2018.
The iconic restaurant’s lease expires in 2018, with a further option until 2021.
David Varney, who runs the iconic restaurant says it will continue to run despite the change of the building’s ownership.
“I’m here for another six years at least so there’ll be no disaster with regard to this I can assure you,” he said.
“We’re stronger and better and harder-working than we’ve ever been.
“I have a lease so if someone wishes to buy the building, they take me with them.
“I’m going to have a few phone calls now that people are saying the building the building is up for sale and that’s the end of the Titanic.
“I’ve got a massive commitment here for at least the next three years, plus the opportunity to go further than that.
“We’re under pressure from what’s happened around us with all the destruction of the wool stores and I’ve had to work harder at letting people know we’re still sailing and we’ll continue to do what we do so well for a further period of three years plus possibly another three on top of that.”
Property owner Andrew Singer established the theme restaurant at 1 Nelson Place 25 years ago.
In 2009, Mr Singer told Star Weekly that residential rezoning of the adjoining Port Phillip Woollen Mill site could sink his business.
The Titanic occupies a corner of the mill site which covers two large blocks.
Construction is under way on the mill site for the $350 million Waterline Place development comprising up to 850 dwellings, up to 10 storeys high.
The development is scheduled to be completed by 2018, the same time the Titanic’s lease expires.
Weda Partners director, Peter Weda, is seeking expressions of interest for the freehold to the 460-square-metre property.
“We’re trying to get feedback from the investor, the developer-type communities, to say here is this property that is the last remaining in that Port Phillip Woollen Mill site, and what are you prepared to pay,” Mr Weda said.
“Now, we’ve only just gone to the marketplace. We’ve had massive amount of enquiry.”
Save Williamstown spokesman Godfrey Moase said tourists were attracted to the suburb because of its unique architecture and heritage.
“It would be an avoidable crime if we lost another old Williamstown pub.
“And given that that is on the corner it cannot safely be residential – that is the closest point to the [Mobil] major hazard facility.”
