Grand ale for Footscray as brewery gets council’s green light for old Franco Cozzo site

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A council in Melbourne’s inner west has reversed an earlier planning permit denial to give the green light to brewery Moon Dog’s proposal to turn Footscray’s iconic Franco Cozzo furniture showroom into a bar and music venue.

Maribyrnong City Council in June refused Moon Dog’s application, citing risks to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists alongside amenity impacts on the surrounding area.

Moon Dog brewery co-founder Karl van Buuren outside the old Franco Cozzo building in Footscray in June.Credit: Justin McManus

The initial decision to block the plan for a three-storey brewery with playground and multi-tiered fountain was criticised on social media by some locals. Other residents had opposed the development – which was planned to cater for up to 900 people – due to concerns over parking, traffic and noise.

But on Saturday morning the council said in a Facebook post that safety concerns had now been resolved and a planning permit would be issued shortly, subject to approval by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Under the revised plan agreed to by the council and the brewery, the venue’s capacity will be 800 patrons instead of the initial plan for 900. The venue will also progressively reduce its capacity every hour from 10pm until close.

“Moon Dog has agreed to manage occupancy to mitigate the risks to large numbers of patrons exiting onto the narrow footpath adjacent to a busy road,” the council post read.

“This means a slight change to the previously proposed hours of operation – from 11am to 11pm Sunday to Thursday – and 1am Friday and Saturday, with a gradual reduction in occupancy after 10pm.”

Fencing and the footpath adjacent to Shelley Street will also be upgraded.

Moon Dog co-founder Josh Uljans said the revised permit meant the business would gradually remove potentially hundreds of patrons every hour from 10pm until close to “reduce the inherent risks that would come from 800 people spilling onto the street all at once”.

“We’re very happy with where it has landed,” Uljans said.

“[They are] minor changes in the scheme of things, really just addressing the specific concerns which were primarily around the safety of intersection which sits next to the building.”

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