Southbank’s Newest Restaurant to be Shipped in
The 112 square metre site, toward the southern bank of the Yarra River, has over the years been a self-serve barbecue eating area, a takeaway coffee kiosk, and a boat ramp. It is accessed via stairs from the busy footbridge.
Prominent barrister and former Deputy Lord Mayor Clem Newton-Brown has owned a leasehold on the Southbank site since 1999. Previous attempts to redevelop the area into a larger restaurant or bar were hindered by the fact the island site was without a kitchen or toilet.
Mr Newton-Brown says the new building shell, which has been developed at a factory in Braybrook by a transportable housing group, will be about 8 metres long and include defined kitchen, servery and bathroom areas.
The redeveloped will also include new outdoor protective railings, and is expected to be open all-year-round, and not just over the Summer months, as has been the case for about six years, Mr Newton-Brown said.
Upon completion, the proposed bar should accommodate about 40 patrons. The site is also consented for a liquor license.
Mr Newton-Brown said major redevelopment in Southbank over the last ten years, warrants his site having “a higher degree of finish, and being of a better standard” than it has currently.
According to the Property Council of Australia, the amount of office space in Southbank has increased from 299,077 square metres ten years ago, to 370,258 square metres in July 2008, the most recent figures available.
Major new residential projects in the area include the Eureka Tower and Freshwater Place.
