Williamstown residents, angered by the demolition of Australia’s oldest three-storey pub for apartments, tried to deter potential buyers by protesting outside the developer’s sales office last Saturday.
Evolve Development last week demolished the Oriental Hotel (circa 1850) to make way for a six-storey, 83-dwelling apartment block known as Waterline Place.
The apartment complex is part of Evolve’s much larger plans to develop the area bounded by Nelson Place and Ann and Kanowna streets.
Evolve gained planning approval, on appeal to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, for the first two stages of its development, most recently for a 128-dwelling, 10-storey tower and 41 three-storey town- houses.
With Labor backing, Hobsons Bay council is preparing a planning scheme amendment to restrict development on 60 per cent of the total site that does not yet have planning approval.
Save Williamstown spokesman and protest organiser Godfrey Moase said residents armed with placards succeeded in making the sales office shut early.
“We had a strong turnout for a snap email in the middle of January,” he said.
“We will continue to regularly protest and educate potential buyers at the developer’s sales office.
“There is a strong depth of feeling in the community that the developer’s action in knocking down the Oriental was an unnecessary act of vandalism. A bit of community identity was lost to the logic of profit.”
But Evolve managing director Ashley Williams said the so-called rally had no impact.
“I don’t believe that the protest had any effect and we will be continuing with our marketing activity in the months to come,” he said.
“We expect to start construction and roadworks by mid year.
“All approvals have been obtained for stage one of the project and we are legally permitted to proceed without further obstruction.”
