Forum Theatre Revamp In Doubt After VCAT Blocks Proposal

The future of the planned restoration of beloved Melburnian venue the Forum Theatre is in doubt after being overturned by the Victorian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

The proposal was built on two cornerstones "bundled" together as one: (a) the construction of a 32-storey boutique hotel with office and retail space behind the existing Forum building, which (b) itself would undergo an extensive interior and exterior renovation to restore the 85-year-old venue to its former glory.

The decision comes despite the the proposal winning planning approval for the project in September last year, at which time developers negotiated over City Of Melbourne concerns regarding the building's height, design and heritage features (extending to the prominent street art occupying the adjacent Hosier Lane) to reach a compromise to move forward with the plan, with former planning minister (now opposition leader) Matthew Guy commenting at the time, "People shouldn't be concerned about any encroachment on street art, because … 99 per cent of it will still be there as it is now."

However, as the ABC notes, the City Of Melbourne did not let the matter rest there, instead taking their complaints to VCAT, which has now found that Guy did not have the authority to tie together what they say are essentially two proposals — the Forum restoration and the hotel development — into one.

In an interview with 774 ABC Melbourne, Guy expressed his disappointment with the outcome, adding that the chain of events were a demonstration of the need for governmental intervention into VCAT's operations.

"It's another example of a hit-and-miss VCAT decision," Guy told the station. "I took the advice when I was minister of the department. The department gave me advice to deal with it as one permit, and I did, and it gave me advice to approve it, and I did."

"The government will need to provide [VCAT] with a greater level of definition as to how it works within the planning system," he said.