A consortium backed by one of Australia’s richest families has submitted plans to convert a historic South Yarra mansion into a luxury private members’ club that would attract international celebrities and replicate the model of more than 30 venues from London to New York.
The $12.5 million expansion of Poolman House, a six-bedroom 19th-century mansion on the corner of Punt and Domain roads, is expected to create the country’s first club in the upmarket Soho House group, if approved by Melbourne City Council.
But the plans – and a proposed 3am weekend liquor licence – have angered neighbours who fear celebrity guests and the paparazzi they attract risk turning the area into a “zoo”.
The developers want to build a new three-storey building with a penthouse suite, 11 hotel rooms, swimming pool and two restaurant-bars.
The existing mansion would be renovated to host a basement cellar, event room, garden lounge and nine hotel rooms. There would be capacity for more than 450 visitors on-site at any one time.
The consortium, comprising the multibillion-dollar-valued Victor Smorgon Group, the Kanat Group and developer Trenerry Property, said no contract had been signed with any operator including Soho House.
Poolman House in South YarraCredit:Simon Schluter
However, a council source who was unauthorised to speak publicly confirmed it was expected to be a Soho House if approved, while the planning documents make reference to “discussions with the operator” that owns venues in New York, London, Barcelona, Berlin and Amsterdam – all Soho House sites.
“The operator of the members-only function centre is an international private members’ club operator and operates worldwide. This would be the first of this type of club in Australia,” states the 411-page proposal, seen by The Age.
Founded by Englishman Nick Jones in 1995 as a hub for creatives, Soho House now attracts famous names such as former One Direction frontman Harry Styles at its global locations.
Melbourne City Council is obliged to make an initial decision on the proposal, lodged in November, by March next year.
The consortium – which is already converting the Sorrento Continental Hotel on the Mornington Peninsula into a five-star resort – bought Poolman House for about $20 million in February.
The six-bedroom, five-bathroom property was available for lease at $10,000 per week earlier this year. It has a ballroom, tennis court, swimming pool and chandelier-adorned dining room.
The developers declined to comment when contacted by The Age on Wednesday.
David Parker, a local resident and Melbourne South Yarra Residents Group committee member, said he was worried the proposal would increase congestion in what he called a village-like area of South Yarra.
An artist’s impression of a bar and lounge.
“I think it would throw the whole balance of the area to suddenly have a licensed facility that opens at 7am and closes at 3am on weekends,” said Mr Parker, a filmmaker.
“I have been to Soho Houses in New York and Los Angeles. It can be a zoo on the street with paparazzi and fans when celebrities are inside.”
Gayle Gledhill, president of the residents’ group, said the plans were a community concern.
“We are keen to see that an area zoned as residential remains residential in its nature and usage,” she said.
An outdoor pool at one of eight Soho Houses in London.
The planning documents point to a conference centre across the road from Poolman House and the neighbouring Italian Culture Institute as examples of commercial use nearby.
The proposal will be referred to a Melbourne City Council planning committee if there are more than 16 objections. The property, on the corner of high-traffic Punt Road, sits just outside the boundaries of Stonnington Council.
Memberships that cover visiting every Soho House worldwide start at about $2700 plus a sign-on fee of about $900.
The Poolman House mansion hosts a private ballroom (pictured) and five marble bathrooms.Credit:Domain
Speaking shortly before Soho House Hong Kong opened in 2019, founder Mr Jones said he would open venues in Melbourne and Sydney simultaneously.
“If I’m going that far, I might as well do both places. I don’t want to piss them off, there’s a lot of competition between the two. We learnt that from doing Barcelona before Madrid,” he told Hollywood Reporter.
Soho House in Manhattan, New York, became infamous in 2010 when swimsuit designer Sylvie Cachay was found dead in a bath. Her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Brooks was convicted of murder, with a documentary about the incident released in 2015.
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