The Block 2020: Producers lodge plans for relocation of five houses to Brighton

Producers of Channel Nine’s The Block have applied to shift five homes to a pricey parcel of land in Brighton in what is tipped to be the location for renovations for next year, its 16th season.

A permit application for 360 New Street is expected to go before Bayside council for consideration in October or November after public consultation and assessment by planning experts. Permits are currently being advertised by Bayside council.

A company owned by Nine, MicJoy Pty Ltd, purchased the land for $14.96 million directly from a developer who owned the land, public records show.

The developers, known as King Shine and Enshine, had an approved permit for a 13-townhouse project called One Orchard on the 2761-square metre block. 

A three-bedroom townhouse in One Orchard was priced between $2.295 million and $3.28 million. Townhouses are still being advertised for sale online. Neither the agents purportedly selling the townhouses or the developers returned Domain‘s calls.

Mystery surrounds whether any of these multimillion-dollar townhouses had been bought before King Shine sold the land and permit to MicJoy. 

King Shine bought 360 New Street, previously a nursing home, for $10.23 million in 2015.

The block of land had been officially listed for sale in February through Buxton Real Estate Brighton, but had been withdrawn in the same month, public records show.

Bayside council’s city planning and amenity director Hamish Reid said the existing permit for One Orchard was still in place but the council would now consider the new permit application. 

“A planning permit exists for the construction of 13 two-storey townhouses with underground car parking at 360 New Street, Brighton,” Dr Reid said.  “This permit was issued at the direction of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

“Council has received a new planning permit application for the construction of five houses at 360 New Street, Brighton. This application is currently being advertised and information is available in the planning register on the council’s website. 

“Community submissions will be considered in the planning assessment.”

Contrary to erroneous reports at the weekend that suggested new townhouses would be built “ground up” on the block, MicJoy’s application mentions relocating five homes to the site, emulating its approach in Elsternwick in 2017.

That season saw five homes moved from country areas to a Regent Street site, before being renovated by contestants on the show.

The houses to be moved to the Brighton land will be single-storey, weatherboard homes from the 1930s to the 1960s, according to the permit. 

The application also includes details about building a double-storey extension at the back of the homes, similar to the Elsternwick project.

Brighton marks new territory for the top-rating program: its previous Melbourne projects have been in Port Phillip, Yarra, Glen Eira and Stonnington council areas. Producers have previously lauded local governments in Melbourne for being friendlier to work with than their counterparts in Sydney. With the exception of season six, which aired in 2013, the series has been filmed in Melbourne since its fourth season in 2011.

Domain has approached The Block executive producer Julian Cress who declined to comment. Channel Nine also declined to comment.