Evolving Port

Port Melbourne and Fishermans Bend change. Houses are changed or demolished and new forms of housing take their place. Port Houses records some of these changes.

17 March 2023

103 Beach St, Port Melbourne

formerly The Beacon Cove Foodstore

March 2023

Construction underway at 103 Beach St. 

piling at 103 Beach St, March 2023

December 2022

Agreement was reached between the developer, City of Port Phillip (Council) and other parties at a VCAT compulsory conference last week.

The development has been approved without the sixth level (a roof terrace), and with levels 3 and 4 shifted east by 0.5m and no western terrace on level 3.

November 2022

The developer has decided to appeal the City of Port Phillip’s approval granted on 28 July 2022.

The developer is contesting many of the conditions Council attached to the planning approval and suggesting amendments to others. The conditions being contested include:

  • A requirement for design methods to slow the speed of cyclists.
  • The setbacks of a minimum of five metres from the eastern and western boundaries for levels 3 and 4.
  • The requirement to provide a second entrance to the supermarket on the southern side.
  • The deletion of the sixth level (a roof terrace) and lowering of the height of the building.
  • The requirement that the entrance to the apartments be from Beach Street.
  • Design of basement ramp in relation to on-site waste collection.
VCAT has scheduled a compulsory conference for 7 December 2022 and a Hearing in March 2023.

September 2022

Demolition of the building was undertaken by MANN Group, and completed on 3 September.

Demolition by MANN Group, September 2022

July 2022

At the Port Phillip Council planning meeting on 28 July, the officer recommendation was to approve the application for an amendment to the already approved permit.

Cr Cunsolo moved that the amendment be refused. She was supported by fellow Gateway Ward councillors Marcus Pearl and Peter Martin but the motion was defeated.

She then proposed a second motion to delete the roof terraces, as follows: 

"Delete the roof terraces and associated stair access from top level units, delete central stair to roof, and minimise lift overrun, the highest parapet reduced to RL 22.5 around plant equipment in the centre of the roof. A roof access hatch to access services is allowed." (condition ii)

That change was supported and passed. 

It is unclear at this time what the response of the developer, Luxcon, will be. 

Mirvac's support for a variation to the covenant in place is also required. 

(refer to Port Phillip Planning Committee unconfirmed minutes 28 July 2022)

March 2022

Luxcon have applied for an amendment to their planning permit. The amendment proposes an increase from 12 to 22 residential units, the addition of another storey to 5 levels,  and to 794 sq m of retail space and the reorientation of the pedestrian entrance.

The number of car parking spaces would increase from 30 to 51 and bicycle spaces from 24 to 46.

The City of Port Phillip is assessing the amendment application. 

October 2021

103 Beach St, October 2021

Branding for Pier 103 Waterfront Residences wraps around the former Beacon Cove foodstore.

September 2021

A hoarding has been placed around the building while the developer prepares revised plans to put to Port Phillip Council. Carr architects have been engaged to prepare the revised design. 

The hoarding has since been defaced with anti-vaccination, anti-lockdown graffiti.

103 Beach St, September 2021

July 2021

The site has been purchased by Sydney-based developer Ilya Melnikoff for $16.65 million. This will be only their second project in Melbourne - the first being in Albert St, East Melbourne.

The 1400 sq m site was acquired from Melbourne developer V-Leader, which paid $11.2 million for it in 2017.

The development will be re-branded as Pier 103 Waterfront Residences. 

April 2020

The last trading day for the IGA Beacon Cove Foodstore was 3 April 2020.

Beacon Cove Foodstore, April 2020
November 2019

VCAT issued  planning permit 673/2015 on 6 February 2017. The permit allowed for the construction of a three storey building containing a supermarket and restaurant at ground level and 14 dwellings above and a reduction of the car parking and loading bay requirements.

An amendment to that permit was sought. It proposed the addition of an extra storey to create a four storey (15.1m high) building, the reduction of the number of dwellings (from 14 to 12), rearrangement of the basement car park, modify car parking (including car parking to the north of the site) and reduce the clearance height of the building above the shared path on the eastern side of the site and internal changes.

The City of Port Phillip supported the amendment and a permit with conditions was issued. (see City of Port Phillip planning report 27 November 2019)

The architects for the amended design are  Wood Marsh Architecture, responsible for nearby MINTAlumuna and Beacon. Wood Marsh has its offices in the ground floor of the Beacon building on Beach St.

1 April 2015

The site was purchased for $11 million by Key Infrastructure Australia in December 2014. They plan to demolish it and replace it with a three level 15 unit project.  

The Beacon Cove Foodstore in 2015

2010

Bernard Mandile and the Beacon Cove Foodstore were one and the same. Bernard had Villagio  Delicatessen in Albert Park before being encouraged to be an anchor tenant in emerging Beacon Cove.

Bernard Mandile outside the Beacon Cove Foodstore, December 2010


1990s

The Beacon Cove Foodstore under construction c1994 photo Ron Cassano

15 March 2023

Ingles x Heath St, Port Melbourne

 March 2023

The site is cleared for the development, March 2023

May 2016

Facing Ingles St, cnr of Ingles x Heath, May 2016

The backyard on Ingles St, May 2016


08 March 2023

84 - 88 Montague St, South Melbourne

March 2023

The site was sold at auction for $4.34 million. The sale attracted more than 70 auction bids. (source: The Age Wednesday, March 9, 2023)

13 February 2023

The site at 88 Montague St will be auctioned by Nichols Crowder on the 2 March at 12 noon.

The site on the corner of Montague and Gladstone Sts, February 2023


04 March 2023

2 Tucker Avenue, Port Melbourne

11 February 2023

The house was sold for $1,910,000 by Frank Gordon on 11 February 2023

February 2023

The former home of Heather and Collin Wale at 2 Tucker Ave is for sale by Frank Gordon.

2 Tucker Ave, Port Melbourne, February 2023

Collin was a life long member of the Mariners, the Port Melbourne Baseball Club. Heather was an active volunteer with the Peter Mac Auxiliary, the Port Melbourne Historical and Preservation Society and the Port Melbourne branch of the Australian Labor Party. She also volunteered at the Port Melbourne Football Club canteen. 

The house was offered for sale for the first time in 86 years. 

'This pristine 1930’s residence in an idyllic address has un-common design scope to extend and capture ‘never to be built out views’.' (Frank Gordon)

Read more about Tucker Avenue here

116 Farrell St, Port Melbourne (corner Ross St)

4 March 2023

A planning application is advertised for the demolition of all buildings, and buildings and works to construct two dwellings on one lot, and a basement. 

The site is covered by a Heritage Overlay and Special Building Overlay. 

Ref  PDPL/00444/2022

116 Farrell St, Port Melbourne, March 2023


18 January 2022

116 Farrell St (cnr Ross), Port Melbourne January 2022

25 September 2016

Domain reports that a neighbour of a plain Port Melbourne house bought the property to prevent a developer from knocking it down and building townhouses. The purchaser paid a suburb square metre record of $7,163 at the auction held on 24 September. It had not been sold for 50 years.

116 Farrell St, Port Melbourne, September 2016 


24 February 2023

101 Spring St, Port Melbourne

Clareville 




Clareville is thought to have been constructed in the 1860s or 1870s. Purchased by James B Bartlett at the turn of the 20th Century, Clareville was the location for Bartlett's SP bookmaking operation for around thirty years. The Bartlett family were long time Port residents. James B Bartlett was the son of James John Barlett, former Mayor of Port Melbourne [1884-85], proprietor of the Railway Club Hotel in Raglan St, sporting identity and bookmaker.

Clareville is unusual as an apparently early house which was comprehensively altered at the turn of the century. The result of the alterations exemplifies the stylistic transition that can be seen in many houses constructed at the end of the nineteenth century in which the typical form of a Victorian double fronted house was overlaid with elements such as the half timbered gables, terracotta roof ridging and lead lighted casement windows deriving from the Queen Anne and other Arts and Crafts domestic architectural styles.

source: City of Port Phillip Heritage Review Database No: 685

07 February 2023

293 The Boulevard, Port Melbourne


February 2023

The house is complete.

293 The Boulevard complete, February 2023


October 2021

Construction well advanced.

construction underway, October 2021

February 2021

'All Gone' announces the bulldozer.


Planning history

In December 2018, the City of Port Phillip refused an application for the demolition of the existing dwelling to construct a new double storey dwelling on heritage grounds. The decision was appealed to VCAT.

The VCAT member argued that the dwelling had been so significantly modified it had lost its heritage significance.

In 1998 a lightweight structure had been added upstairs and some renovations made downstairs. The architect was Lucinda McLean at NMBW architects. See Garden City House.

Sales history
April 2004: $860k
February 1998: $167.5k by private treaty
July 1989:  $205K

23 January 2023

194 - 206 Lorimer St, Docklands

January 2023

The state government has approved a 31 level Build To Rent tower on this site. Designed by Fender Katsalidis, and referencing the bridge of a ship, it will contain 402 units. Six percent of the dwellings will be allocated for affordable housing. (source: realestatesource.com.au)

November 2021

Development Victoria has sold this major site at the north east corner of Lorimer Street and Bolte Bridge to Samma Property Group and Brightlight.

The 4509 square metre parcel was offered with a development scheme for a 90 metre – or circa 30 storey – building.

The buyers are intending a $200 million Build to Rent project with c300 dwellings 

The price is speculated to be under $20m. (source: realestatesource.com.au)


Dorcas St, South Melbourne

January 2023

The home of Shirley Shackleton, widow of Greg Shackleton, one of the Balibo Five, was sold by Jellis Craig in May 2022.

The front verandah was always full of flowers, especially red geraniums. Shirley was very regularly at the South Melbourne Market where she became friends with many stallholders. 

She was a very small woman who always wore hats which she decorated herself. Described as a polymath at her funeral on January 23rd, she was tireless and fearless in her advocacy for the East Timorese people and for justice for the Balibo Five.

In 2019, at the age of 87, she waited for then Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the steps of the Hotel Dili to present a petition of 4,000 signatures asking the government to stop the prosecution of Bernard Collaery and Witness K. 

Shirley Shackleton died on 14 January 2023.