A new hotel for Wollongong
Developers are moving ahead with plans for a $44 million hotel on the western edge of Wollongong’s CBD.
Sydney-based Gear Up Properties has proposed building a 19 storey tower with 90 hotel rooms on six levels.
A development application lodged with Wollongong City Council does not identify the hotel operators but the plan submitted by TCG Planning provides enough detail about the development which will sit on three blocks of land facing Belmore and Young Streets.
The rooms will be studio or one-bedroom accommodation and the upper nine levels of the 60 metre building will have 46 residential apartments.
That will be in addition to a communal rooftop area.
The plan has room for three food and drink premises.
There will also be a restaurant at street level, facing Young and Belmore Streets.
And there will be plenty of space for visitors with 163 car spaces in three levels of basement parking.
The main entrance faces Young Street, opposite the intersection with Market Street.
According to the plans, there will be a forecourt and commercial tenancies to “improve the street’s civic quality”.
At the moment, the site is occupied by a house which was previously used for commercial purposes. The site also has a vacant block used for car parking, and a business premises used by a law firm.
According to TCG, the development would improve the quality of architecture in the area “befitting that of a metropolitan cityscape”.
“The range of commercial and tourist accommodation uses provided on the site will provide employment opportunities and will strengthen the role of the city centre,” its application said.
“The proposed residential apartments will provide increased housing choice in a highly accessible location within the Wollongong City Centre.”
The new hotel proposal has a construction budget of $43.7 million.
It will be assessed by the Southern Joint Regional Planning Panel.
by Leon Gettler, September 15th 2016
