Community anger after abandoned lakefront restaurant set alight in Melbourne

Community leaders have voiced their anger after an abandoned lakefront event space in Melbourne was set alight overnight, marking the latest in a series of vandalism attacks in recent weeks.

The Point restaurant in Albert Park, which was once considered Melbourne's "most picturesque lakeside destination," has been left severely damaged and covered in graffiti since its closure in 2021.

The venue was almost completely destroyed in the most recent attack, with it set on fire around 3.30am today.

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Police have deemed the fire as suspicious and a crime scene has been established.

Fire crews took 30 minutes to bring the fire under control and didn't find anyone inside following a primary search.

Parks Victoria has managed the property since it was vacated in 2021 and told 9News.com.au that minor incidents of vandalism occurred during July, including an unauthorised rave party on August 9.

"We are concerned and deeply disappointed by the recent incident at The Point at Albert Park. Our primary concern is the safety and wellbeing of our employees and the local community," Parks Victoria Regional Director Sofia De Lesantis told 9News.com.au.

"Emergency services were alerted about smoke emanating from the building and the fire was swiftly contained on Friday 16 August. Fortunately, no one was injured."

"We are working to assess the damage and will take decisive steps to prevent such events in the future. We are actively cooperating with Victoria Police as they investigate this matter."

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City of Port Phillip Cr Marcus Pearl said he was "deeply concerned" about the current state of the building.

"It is disheartening to see that Parks Victoria has allowed this asset, which is owned by all Victorians, to fall into such a shambolic state of disrepair," he said.

"The damage, which is likely to be in the millions of dollars, represents a significant waste of taxpayers' money and a gross underutilisation of a key asset in one of our prime tourist areas.

"This situation is unacceptable, and it is imperative that immediate action be taken to address the disrepair and ensure that this valuable asset is restored to its former state."

Pearl said the "community deserves better".

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In August last year, Parks Victoria completed an Expression of Interest process for leasing the site.

The agency is now working with the preferred proponent for an imminent lease sign-off to reactivate the venue and will provide designs and renders once the lease is finalised.

Parks Victoria noted that significant investment is needed to make the building suitable for business use and to meet safety standards. Remediation works are scheduled as part of this process.