ABC journalists Virginia Trioli and Russell Skelton opposing North Melbourne hotel demolition

Thwarted plans to demolish a 19th century North Melbourne hotel to make way for a four-storey 30 serviced apartment block have been appealed to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

The initial City of Melbourne decision to refuse the $10 million application to demolish on heritage grounds was being appealed by the developer, Yuan Shuo Liang.

Objections to the Royal Park Hotel demolition have come from neighbours, ABC journalists Virginia Trioli and Russell Skelton.

Skelton, the head of the ABC’s fact checking unit, was present at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal hearing, the Australian Financial Review wrote.

The hotel was bought for $1.95 million in early 2012 from the Milesi family.

The 1930s renovated hotel opened in the 1850s gold rush as the Lightning Hotel before becoming the Royal Park.

The decision on the KHAK Architects-design will be handed down in about six weeks.

“The notion of the corner pub is a little bit like churches – they’re a receding land use,” VCAT senior member Russell Byard said during the appeal hearing on Tuesday, the AFR noted.

“The (planning) problem is to find a contemporary use for a building originally built as a corner pub – or a church, for that matter. . . they are often turned into flats, or restaurants or things of that nature.”

The proposal drew 10 objections.

Russell Skelton has lived in the neighbourhood since the mid-1990s, then adding the neighbouring 132 square metre vacant property in late 2012 with a $610,000 purchase with Virginia Trioli.

It was also bought from the Milesi family.