Vermont South Shopping Centre
The Vermont South Shopping Centre is an indoor/outdoor retail complex located in the Melbourne suburb of Vermont South. Anchored by supermarket chains Aldi and Coles, it has about 50 specialty stores and parking for over 650 cars.
History
Background
Beginning in 1964, European migrants Maurice Alter, Paul Fayman and George Herscu jointly developed the Forest Hills Shopping Centre at Canterbury Road, Forest Hill. Following its highly-successful launch, in 1967, consultant Bill Gelfand advised the developers to purchase vast tracts of agricultural land at nearby Vermont South – which was soon to be rezoned for suburban development.The developers acted on Gelfand's proposal, which set out to expand Forest Hills' catchment size and provide additional funding for its planned expansions. By 1968, Nunawading Council had finalised a masterplan for the Vermont South, designating land for a new shopping centre. Residential land sales took place from 1969, but progress was suspended over a year later following opposition from local residents.
Initial design and development
Eventually, in early 1973, architect Ray Barnard-Brown was hired to design the new centre. Hanover Holdings, which represented the interest of Alter, Fayman and Herscu, announced at a shareholder meeting that: "The land owned by Hanover in Burwood Highway, Vermont, one mile east of Springvale Road, has now been subdivided into 260 residential allotments and will be complemented by a 90,000 square feet commercial complex". The centre's original design comprised two large anchor stores, tenanted by branches of the Venture department store separated and Coles New World supermarket chains. These were separated by an indoor mall of about 45 specialty stores. Several shops are situated alongside the front and rear service roads. A post office, a restaurant and a Mobil service station were developed concurrently – totalling a floor area of over 11,500m2.Local manufacturer Atlas was contracted to build unique, timber-boarded light shafts which remain a key architectural feature alongside occasional remnant brown brick, linoleum, and terrazzo details from the original centre. The centre's indoor mall section still has its original vermiculite-sprayed popcorn ceilings, which contain asbestos – complicating internal renovation.
Opening
The Vermont South Shopping Centre was officially opened on 22 October 1974 by Joe Rafferty, who was the Victorian Minister for Labour And Industry and Minister for Consumer Affairs at the time.Alterations and ownership changes
The property was retained by Maurice Alter's Pacific Group after Hanover split in the late 1970s, and was acquired by Westpac in the 1980s. For the last few decades, the shopping centre has been owned by several entities through a strata title. In 1984, Architects Meldrum, Burrows & Partners were contracted to design visual and functional improvements. A new fascia design was implemented, the former Venture tenancy was divided to accommodate new tenants, and a total of seven new shops were established. The site was listed for sale again in April 1986.The canopy above the centre's south entrance was extended in 1990 as part of a signage upgrade, however, this was later reverted as it was frequently struck by trucks on the service road. In 2013, supermarket chain Aldi acquired and renovated a large portion of the former department store tenancy –adding windows, a new loading dock, and modernised fittings.
A highly anticipated overhaul commenced in 2021 which included an internal and external repaint, removal of the carpet and replacement of the dilapidated facia/canopies. Shortly after renovations were completed, $10 million was invested into upgrading the 4216m2 Coles supermarket, which received a new deli, bakery, fresh food section and upgraded click-and-collect facilities – opened by Micheal Sukkar MP in late August 2022. The Coles supermarket was sold later in the year for over $20 million.
Surrounding developments
The free-standing Prince of China take-away restaurant opened directly south of the centre c. 1975–76. The building was extended to accommodate a dining hall and became Bo On in mid-1987. The restaurant would later re-open as Han Palace in 2005 and as Crown Palace in 2006. In 2022, a proposal was put forward which would have seen demolition of the existing building and construction of a new restaurant with office space above, however, plans were put on hold due to rising interest rates. The building has since received extensive renovations and now operates as Ing Bulgogi, a Korean BBQ-buffet restaurant.The Mobil service station at the corner of Hanover Road and Burwood Highway, which was built in 1974, was replaced by a block of 14 shops in 1990. As part of Nunawading Council's 1992 structure plan for the Vermont South Activity Centre, a prominent council-owned reserve at the corner of Livingstone Road and Burwood Highway was controversially rezoned from public use zone to restricted business zone. The plan also designated the area for a mix of office and retail development.
In 1994, Shell Australia proposed plans to subdivide the site for a 24-hour petrol station, drive-through McDonald's restaurant, Blockbuster video store, a cafe and several shops. The proposal caused controversy and objectors claimed it was a conflict of interest for the council as the sale of the land was conditional on council approving the subdivision.
Despite angst from the existing traders of the neighbouring Vermont South Shopping Centre, who feared overdevelopment, the project went ahead and was completed between 1995 and 1996. The Vermont South McDonald's opened in December 1995 and was remodelled in 2008. Due to the increasing popularity of video streaming services, the Blockbuster tenancy was replaced by a Snap Fitness gymnasium in 2012.