The nine-storey Jewish Arts Quarter building proposed for 7 Selwyn Street, Elsternwick in Melbourne’s inner south has been granted approval, after planning minister Richard Wynne intervened to scuttle a legal challenge.
Designed by Melbourne’s Mclldowie Partners, the building will replace the double-storey brick building used by the Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre. It will bring together the Jewish Museum of Australia and the Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre and National Library, along with performing arts and co-working spaces.
Glen Eira council gave the proposal the green light back in September 2020 but residents concerned about the building’s height and lack of parking lodged an appeal with the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Before the matter could be heard, planning minster Wynne called in the matter, referring it to the government’s Priority Projects Standing Advisory Committee instead of the tribunal. Wynne told parliament he stepped in because he considered the project would provide a substantial public benefit and the appeals process “may have a substantial effect on the achievement or development of planning objectives.”
Jewish Arts Quarter by Mclldowie Partners.
The Priority Projects Standing Advisory Committee held a roundtable discussion on the proposal in June, where the applicant and council submitted evidence in support of the proposal and objectors raised their concerns. Based on the evidence presented the committee recommended the proposal for approval, and the planning minister granted it in late August.
Joe Tigel, Jewish Arts Quarter director and president of the Kadimah Jewish Cultural Centre and National Library welcomed the approval.
“We are kvelling! - beaming with pride and joy in realizing our vision for the Jewish Arts Quarter, allowing us to move from imagination to the belief that a vibrant and dynamic new cultural destination will soon become a reality,” he said.
The new building will feature a 751-square-metre performing arts theatre occupying the three basement levels, which will be able to accommodate up to 300 patrons and 20 theatre staff. Museum exhibition space will occupy the first three floor, covering around 1,259 square metres, and c-working office spaces covring a total floor area of 1,631 sqaure metres will occupy the top five floors.
There will also be a café on level three for offce workers, a ground floor café, a shop and 30 bicycle parking spots. There will be no car parks, which was a sticking point for the development’s opponents, but the government noted the precinct was well connected to public transport and that the lack of car parks would encourage “sustainable, active transport alternatives.”
The Jewish Arts Quarter will sit adjacent to the Jewish Holocaust Centre designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects, and become part of a wider precinct featuring the Sholem Aleichem College and Classic Cinemas.
The development will be supported by a $3.5 million contribution from the Victorian government.
