Luna Park Revamp Proposals Rejected
The Age
Thursday February 23, 1995
The State Government and City of Port Phillip have rejected plans for a multi-million dollar redevelopment of Luna Park.
The chairman of commissioners at Port Phillip, Mr Des Clark, said yesterday the proposals, which included a high-speed corkscrew roller-coaster, had been rejected because the operator, Luna Park Ltd, had not provided sufficient details.
A statement released yesterday by the City of Port Phillip, which comprises the former St Kilda, Port Melbourne and South Melbourne councils, said Luna Park Ltd had been given until 1 March to come up with a timetable for its proposals.
This followed their rejection by the council and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the statement said.
Under the St Kilda planning scheme, any proposed development of the Melbourne landmark must be accompanied by details including the staging of works, demolition, relocation, conservation, and the uses of buildings.
Mr Clark said the Melbourne landmark was a significant icon, both on a local and statewide level. The city had a responsibility to ratepayers and residents to see that Luna Park maintained its role as one of St Kilda's premier attractions.
He said the documentation provided by Luna Park Ltd when the plans were submitted in January was regarded as inadequate by all the parties involved in the review process. These included Heritage Victoria and the Environment Protection Authority.
The chairman of Luna Park Ltd, Mr Dennis Marks, last night said the plans had not been rejected. He said the city and relevant authorities had instead requested a meeting to consider aspects of the redevelopment plans and set out a timetable.
``We anticipate several meetings with interested parties considering the historic significance of Luna Park to Melbourne," Mr Marks said.
© 1995 The Age
