Chinatown eateries join forces to oppose plans for non-Asian restaurant at car park site

THE RUMOUR FILE

Chinatown icons the Flower Drum and Shark Fin House are among 18 objectors to plans for a 200-seat, open-air venue on the corner of Corrs Lane and Little Bourke Street in Chinatown.

Back on January 23 the Rumour File heard an application had been made to build a restaurant on the site and today the Herald Sun reports, some of Chinatown’s iconic eateries have joined forces to oppose the plans they claim will “wreck the ambience” of the precinct.

Maz Salt, owner of Section 8, who has put forward the plans for the car park, told Ross and John there will be no “visual cultural references” to Chinatown but no objectors have actually spoken to him about it.

“To be honest I’m not entirely clear what their objections are,” he said.

“I’ve sent them all design packages and menu ideas to talk about it but I’m actually yet to hear from anyone directly about it.

“There are a multitude of places which aren’t Chinese, one of the objectors actually owns a Mexican restaurant, which is in Chinatown.”

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“We’re working with a local architecture firm to convert the open air car park into a park, we’re going to plant some trees, put in a BBQ and serve some wine under a tree,” he said.

Maz said he and his business partners have a meeting today with the Future Melbourne Committee, and hopes things progress from there.

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