Hotel spreads its history

DANDENONG’S historic Albion Hotel is expanding.
City of Greater Dandenong councillors have approved plans for the Lonsdale Street venue to incorporate a vacant retail premises next door.
The Albion was constructed in 1891, has operated as a hotel ever since, and is identified in a council heritage study as a landmark building.
Councillor Peter Brown told his fellow councillors at their meeting on Monday night last week that it was a wonderful venue.
“If they don’t keep the beautiful open fire and pressed metal ceiling in dining room can we cancel the permit?” he joked.
“It really is one of Dandenong’s hidden gems. In winter it’s just absolutely delightful.”
Acting city planning, design and amenity director Rachel Lunn said the project would see some internal features retained, and that heritage protections covered the facade.
She said the application included a request to expand the hotel’s liquor licence but that any plans to introduce more poker machines would have to be the subject of a separate application.
The existing liquor licence lists the hotel’s maximum internal capacity as 360 patrons but does not specify an outdoor patron capacity, despite the outdoor beer garden being located within the existing ‘red line’ liquor licence boundary.
The approved application will see the patron cap increase to 450 in a red line area that includes the beer garden and extension into 337 Lonsdale Street.
– Casey Neill