THE new owner of Williamstown’s iconic Titanic Theatre Restaurant says the proposed towers development next door will be good in the long term.
David Varney has taken over the helm from Andrew Singer, who established the theme restaurant in Nelson Place 22 years ago.
In 2009, Mr Singer told the Weekly that residential rezoning of the adjoining Port Phillip Woollen Mill site could sink his business.
But Mr Varney disagrees.
“I think it’s more the process that will be the hard work,” he said.
“We don’t need [our livelihood] to be destroyed because of lack of consideration from what they’re doing.
“I have no problem with them doing [the development]. I think it will be fantastic for the area long term, absolutely. It deserves that.
“They’re developing restaurants within part of their [development] so it becomes a lively area.”
Nelson Place Village Pty Ltd has proposed to build more than 400 dwellings, including four towers up to 13 storeys high, on the land bounded by Nelson Place and Ann, Aitken and and Kanowna streets.
The development, scheduled to be completed by 2018, is expected to cost more than $200million.
Mr Varney’s predecessor this month made a verbal submission objecting to the “premature” demolition of the mill site.
He said demolition works during Titanic commemoration events would have been a travesty.
Mr Varney said the restaurant had been receiving bookings for two years to attend events marking the 100th anniversary of the Titanic disaster on April 15.
The most famous guest will be Joy Lester, 83, whose late mother Edith Haisman survived the Titanic’s collision with an iceberg.
“We’re bringing her down from Queensland to be our special guest on the 14th and possibly the 15th of April, because we’re creating something very special,” Mr Varney said.
“She is also bringing artefacts, in particular some coal that was given to her mother. My understanding is it was picked up from the floor [in the Titanic] and given to her.”
The Titanic restaurant owner has also forged a medallion only for “those who will sail with us” on April14.
Evolve Development managing director Ashley Williams said an appeal had been lodged with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal to overturn Hobsons Bay Council’s refusal to grant a demolition permit for the Port Phillip Woollen Mill site.
