Plans to turn South Yarra Palace into Soho House member club

Soho House was founded by Englishman Nick Jones in 1995 as a hub for the creative and now attracts famous names like former One Direction frontman Harry Styles at its global locations.

Melbourne City Council is required to make an initial decision on the proposal, submitted in November, by March next year.

The consortium – which is already transforming 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 rent for $ 10,000 a week earlier this year. It has a ballroom, tennis court, swimming pool and chandelier-adorned dining area.

The developers declined to comment when contacted by Aging on Wednesday.

David Parker, a local resident and member of the Melbourne South Yarra Residents Group Committee, said he was concerned the proposal would increase congestion in what he called a village-like area in South Yarra.

An artist’s impression of a bar and lounge.

“I think it would throw the whole balance in the area suddenly to have a licensed facility that opens at 7am and closes at 3am on weekends,” said Mr Parker, a filmmaker.

“I’ve 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, chair of the residents’ group, said the plans were a societal problem.

“We are eager to see that an area designated as residential remains residential in its nature and use,” she said.

An outdoor pool at one of eight Soho houses in London.

The planning documents point to a conference center across the road from Poolman House and the nearby Italian Cultural 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 the busy Punt Road, is just outside the boundaries of the Stonnington Council.

Memberships covering visits to all Soho homes worldwide start at around $ 2700 plus a $ 900 registration fee.

The Poolman House mansion hosts a private ballroom (pictured) and five marble bathrooms.Credit:Domain

Shortly before Soho House Hong Kong opened in 2019, founder Mr Jones said he would open venues in Melbourne and Sydney at the same time.

“If I have to go that far, I might as well do both. I do not want to make them angry, there is a lot of competition between the two. We learned that from playing Barcelona before Madrid, “he said Hollywood Reporter.

Soho House in Manhattan, New York, became infamous in 2010 when swimwear designer Sylvie Cachay was found dead in a bathtub. Her ex-boyfriend Nicholas Brooks was convicted of murder, with a documentary about the incident released in 2015.

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