Espy Hotel Campaign 1997-2003
The Esplanade Hotel (The Espy) has graced St Kilda's foreshore promenade since 1878. For over a century its stages have…
The campaign to save St Kilda’s Esplande Hotel (The Espy) was sparked by a one-paragraph article - written by John…
Developer Becton Corporation was a heavyweight in the redevelopment arena. It was not in the business of running pubs or…
In the fading months of 1997, the protagonists in the Esplanade Hotel drama prepared their strategies. Becton announced a Design…
On 24 June 1998, Becton Corporation submitted a planning amendment application to the City of Port Phillip, seeking to remove…
War had been declared. The battle lines were drawn. The public had six weeks, from 8 October to 20 November…
Councillors met at 9:00 pm on Tuesday 15 December 1998 to consider Amendment L68/C11 to the Port Phillip Planning Scheme…
In March 1999 a new tower vision threatened the Espy. While the Port Phillip Neighbourhood Amendment C5 process continued, unencumbered…
The idea to allow a developer, in this case the Becton Corporation, to have a say in the planning guidelines…
Successive developers had been more interested in the profits to be made from developing the Espy Hotel site than from…
Amendment C25 to the Port Phillip Planning Scheme would be a ground-breaking document, for it would, for the first time,…
Becton's revised planning application, lodged on 12 November 2002, blocked access to loading bays servicing the Espy's main stage, severely…
On 18 February 2003 Becton lodged an appeal against Council’s decision to refuse its planning application. The VCAT hearing was set…
Amidst the focus on live music, Becton made its most insidious move to date. It threatened to shut down the…
Becton came to VCAT with an impressive team. Led by CJ Canavan QC, the team produced favourable evidence from architects…
There is the St Kilda of sunsets, bars and live music venues and then there is the St Kilda of…