Victoria Park pushes forward with redeveloping Edward Millen House into multi-million dollar precinct

The Town of Victoria Park council has taken the next step in transforming a former Spanish influenza hospital into a multi-million dollar entertainment precinct.

At a special council meeting last week, the Victoria Park council unanimously endorsed a development application for Edward Millen House be sent to the Metro Inner Joint Development Assessment Panel.

Last year the town signed a 20-year lease with Australian property firm Blackoak Capital Ventures for it to restore and redevelop the Edward Millen Heritage buildings on Hillview Terrace.

The $12.5 million project would see the two-storey Rotunda building restored to be used as a bakery, cafe, retail space and office space, while the Mildred Creak building would have a bar, bistro, microbrewery, museum or gallery and function rooms.

The bar, bistro, microbrewery and function rooms would be open until midnight Thursdays to Saturdays and 10pm Sundays to Wednesdays.

The site would also have an ice-cream parlour, art studio, community markets, a petting zoo and childcare facilities.

“Our project, we believe, offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reactivate the iconic Edward Millen heritage buildings ... and provide amenity and enjoyment to the surrounding community,” Blackoak Capital Ventures managing partner Tim Mack said.

“We believe that our combination of a broad mix of uses for the precinct, including hospitality, childcare, community and museum areas, markets and artisan production, will provide activation of the precinct from morning to evening, and on weekends and weekdays.

“These uses will be family friendly and provide another location and opportunity for Victoria Park’s growing community to meet and connect.”

The precinct began life in the 1910s as the site of the Rotunda Maternity Hospital and was used as a hospital for Spanish influenza patients in 1919, a sanatorium for ex-service personnel in 1942 and renamed Hill View health facility in 1982.

In 1999 the site was entered on to the State Register of Heritage Places.

The Victoria Park council added amendments for the site to include at least six bicycle parking bays and “universal access”, such as lifts, to the first floor of the Rotunda building.

Cr Claire Anderson said she had been passionate about adding a lift “for a very long time”.

“It sends a really strong message that there is an investment of so much, not just of time but that it is a great passion to our community as well,” she said.

“As a voice for people with disabilities, I think many times that we’ve had council events or community events and they haven’t been able to go upstairs and take photos, and they share that with me.

“You don’t always walk in someone’s shoes, but we can actually tie the laces and what I mean by that is that we can actually create change, not because we have to but because as leaders we have the opportunity to.”

During public question time, East Victoria Park resident Lark Hare raised concerns about noise from the animal petting zoo.

“Goats bleat at 78 decibels and chickens at 63 (decibels), and times that by six, 12 or 18 animals,” she said.

But mayor Karen Vernon said ambient noise came from “lots of different sounds”.

“Ambient noise in the community comes from lots of different sound, like children’s laughter, basketballers playing, cars hooning down the street ... there is a level of ambient noise people are expected to live and to sustain and be able to accommodate,” she said.

“Sometimes that noise is even deflected by things like the wind, cloud cover, any number of things going on elsewhere that could actually mean that the noise is occurring but for a number of reasons you don’t hear it at your house.”