Sandstone Precinct luxury hotel upsizes

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Developers of a new luxury hotel earmarked for The Lands and Education Buildings in Sydney’s CBD have proposed to increase the number of keys by more than 10%. Pontiac Land Group submitted its original Development Application with the NSW Government in 2016 to “create the best hotel in the world for the luxury market, with the appropriate array of amenities and facilities”. Positioned on two adjacent blocks on Bridge Street, the grand hotel is an adaptive reuse of two historic sandstone buildings, linked by a subterranean passageway beneath Loftus Street. In a proposed modification to the development consent, Ethos Urban – acting on behalf of the Singaporean developer – told NSW Planning & Environment, which ironically resided at the same address in question, that they intend on increasing the room count from 253 to 290. The beefed-up tally will see additional rooms occupy existing space of the Education Building, by reconfiguring room layouts and sizes. The number of keys in The Lands Building remains at 61. The revised design of the Education Building, part of the Sandstone Precinct Known as the “Sandstone Precinct”, the hotel project has been in the pipeline for nearly a decade, and has been under review for the past two years. It’s unclear at this stage which hotel group and brand may be interested in the development. Justifying the increased room count, Pontiac said “the increase in keys has no more than a negligible to minimal environmental impact, in terms of additional visitors/guests, traffic, waste etc.” Other flagged modifications include the refinement to the external design of the rooftop extension.

“The proposed refined design for the rooftop extension results in the lessening of the solidity of the design and ensures the structure is generally consistent with the appearance of the existing sandstone building below. The lightweight appearance of the enhanced rooftop design is more appropriate than the existing approved structure which clearly identifies as a new addition. The proposed design blends in with the existing pattern, verticality and rhythm of the Education Building below. The setting back of the roofline at Level 09 also provides the appearance of the building being eight levels only.”

The previously proposed winter garden, running from the ground floor up through the centre of the Education Building, has been scrapped, as has a wrap-around water feature on the ninth floor, which will be replaced by landscaping. Other changes will see a ballroom on the basement Level 1 abandoned and a pool on the fifth floor, facing towards Circular Quay, reduced in length and its infinity edge removed. New features include a courtyard feature water wall off the lobby, along with a sculpture garden. Marriott International’s The Westin would be a logical choice, given it will exit the Sydney hotel market towards the end of 2019. Last month, Singapore’s Fullerton Hotels and Resorts revealed they would take over the The Westin Sydney in mid-October next year. Marriott International told LATTE it continues to look out for new opportunities to expand its footprint and grow its portfolio of brands in the Australian market. “Further brand developments in Sydney or the Australian market will depend on Marriott securing the right partner and location. We cannot comment on any potential developments until definitive agreements have been signed.” The public exhibition of the modified development of the Sandstone Precinct closed on Wednesday.

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