The procession of Melbourne pubs under threat of redevelopment continues with the freehold sale of Footscray’s home of live music, the Reverence Hotel.
After years playing host to hundreds of independent and up-and-coming bands, the pub may be demolished to make way for housing. The site is comprised of five titles and holds potential for up to six storeys (STCA).
Formerly known as the Exchange, the Hotel was built in the 1800s but, like many historic Melbourne pubs, enjoys no heritage protections.
It was rebranded the Reverence Hotel in 2012 by Melanie and Matt Bodiam. The operators have just a year left on their current lease.
The 1234 m² corner block is being marketed by Conway Commercial’s Mark Durnan and John Crooks, with price expectation of $3.5 million.
Durnan confirmed to PubTIC the Reverence had only just come to market, but could not comment further.
Such a shame one of the last iconic pub buildings in Footscray is again set to fall due to incompetent planners at the Maribyrnong City Council. Too many beautiful buildings and community gathering places are being lost in the inner west to make way for more overscaled appartment blocks and poor taste retail developments. Once iconic places such as the Reverence Hotel are destroyed, they are gone forever.
Our community is increasing in size exponentially and requires more amenity to cater for the masses. We need more of these facilities not less. Plenty more shops are being built but I’ve yet to see anyone deliver a new pub, band venue or community hub. How can a community grow and prosper without vital amenity to support it? Pubs such as the Reverence Hotel are the backbone of Melbourne. We’ve lost too many already.
The key to protecting the Reverence Hotel is to educate and gain the support of Maribyrnong City Council’s planners. They are the regulatory authority who grant the permits to redevelop within the municipality. If Council does come to its senses and reject the application, then the developers will most likely contest the decision at VCAT. This process could take years until an outcome is reached.
You have a voice in the future of the Reverence Hotel. Contact Maribyrnong City Council’s planners today to express opposition to the redevelopment of this iconic community hub.