Christ Church and the The City of Melbourne compromises and places at risk  one of South Yarra’s most significant and iconic Heritage building.  Goodrest (Toorak Road West) The proposal was supported by Melbourne Greens Councillors Cathy Oake and Rohan Leppert

A recent decision by VCAT approving Christs Church’s re-development of the Goodrest site runs the risk of causing irreparable damage to existing A Grade heritage building.

The main issue of concern is the proposed underground carpark and its impact on the heritage significance of the site

The City Council’s heritage policy allows Underground Carparks to be constructed with the entrance blocking the view of the historic mansion.

Proposed Underground Carpark Entrance (Artists Impression)

Goodrest is a significant  iconic building for the South Yarra precinct and the construction of the underground carpark will obscure the building as seen from Toorak Road.

The City of Melbourne’s Heritage policy allows Underground Carparks to be constructed with the entrance blocking the view of the historic mansion.

The recent decision of VCAT , which approved the development with conditions, failed to consider heritage issues.

In spite residents’ concerns the Melbourne South Yarra Residents Group failed to list Heritage as a concern in its submission, concentrating instead on the impact of traffic on the amenity of the area.  The Residents association should have opposed the construction of the underground Carpark but failed to do so.

An engineers assessment commissioned by local residents states that the construction of the proposed Carpark risks damaging the Goodrest building itself.