Now that we know that Carlton's Corkman Irish Pub will be "rebuilt", this question remains – can the historic hotel actually be restored, or will we have to make do with a modern imitation?
While developers Raman Shaqiri and Stefce Kutlesovski have promised to rebuild the 159-year-old building after its illegal demolition, there are no guarantees that any of the original materials can be saved from the rubble and reused.
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State to sue Corkman Irish pub owners
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The 159-year-old Carlton pub will have to be rebuilt, says Planning Minister Richard Wynne.
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State to sue Corkman Irish pub owners
The 159-year-old Carlton pub will have to be rebuilt, says Planning Minister Richard Wynne.
In October this year the pair sparked outrage after their company knocked down the building without a permit, ignored a council stop work order and left asbestos among the debris. Now a broken mess of timber and brick lies underneath a green tarpaulin.
On Friday discussions began in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal about rebuilding the two-storey hotel at 160 Leicester Street.
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The developers have hired top planning barrister, Stuart Morris QC, who told a practice day hearing that it would take his client "at least a couple of months" to draw up plans for the rebuild.
He said there was a questionmark over whether the debris on the construction site was "capable of even being reused".
The developer is due back at the tribunal in March next year with its blueprint for the hotel, but asked that the plans not be made public initially.
Mr Morris said his client considered it "very important" the plans were kept confidential ahead of a compulsory conference between the developers and representatives from the Melbourne City Council and Planning Minister Richard Wynne.
"We don't want a situation to arise where someone misunderstands their obligations and we have plans prepared for without-prejudice discussion on the front page of The Age," he said.
Two final year Melbourne University law students, Duncan Wallace and Tim Staindl, have also applied to the state planning tribunal to force Mr Shaqiri and Mr Kutlesovski's company to rebuild the pub. The hotel has long been a favourite drinking hole of university students.
Mr Staindl said he was concerned the new plans would include a commercial addition, rather than being a faithful recreation of the pub, so the developers could justify the $4.76 million they paid for the site last year.
Lawyer for the council and planning minister, John Rantino, said it was important that the original materials were reused in the rebuilt, if possible.
"As we sit here, we really don't know what is on the site. It's covered by tarpaulin," he said.
"There will be a need at some point a re-entering onto the site for some point of inventory."