Apartments plan for Guildford pub
The owners of the fire-ravaged Guildford Hotel have revealed plans to build high-density housing at the rear of the site, saying it will make the costly restoration of the historic building viable.
Artists' impressions of the proposed development are due to be presented to the City of Swan and members of the Guildford community at a briefing tonight.
The ground floor of the rear building will be occupied by shops and restaurants that will open on to a "cobblestoned piazza", which co-owner Luke Martino hopes will host markets at weekends.
Mr Martino said there were several good examples of residential developments being built next to heritage buildings around Perth, including the historic Raffles Hotel in Applecross.
He said he hoped the site would become a hub for the Guildford community and expected there would be considerable demand for the apartments because they would be affordable and close to a train station, schools and a hospital.
"We have seen modern apartments that have been put around a heritage building - it's about blending it in to make sure it is a very elegant development," Mr Martino said.
"We will still retain the retail section on the bottom floor, which will give you a piazza, markets, fresh food and coffee shops and all that sort of stuff.
"It will be about activating the centre of Guildford."
Mr Martino said the hotel, which has been leased to Melbourne-based The Publican Group, was due to open late next year.
He said they were proposing the residential part of the development because it was the best way to get a return on the restoration of the hotel.
"It really is important that the whole site is economic and the only way we could get all the numbers to work was to have this development on the rear side of the hotel," Mr Martino said.
City of Swan chief executive Mike Foley said the briefing had been organised to keep parties interested in the development informed about it.
Mr Foley said the Swan council at its next meeting would consider the application to amend the city's local planning scheme to allow multiple dwellings at the site.
