Landmark hotel developments for Cairns CBD
Landmark Hotel, Cairns
Cairns Regional Council is mulling over two landmark hotel developments that could transform the town’s CBD.
The first is an application for the demolition of the Bellview Motel.
The council is considering an application for the construction of a new 15-storey tower in its place. The new 43.98 metres building that will occupy the Bellview’s site will include 161 hotel rooms. There will be 108 twin and 53 single rooms, It will also offer 19 on-site parking spaces.
The Bellview motel is a prominent spot in Cairns.
Owned by the Meiklejohn family’s Merecliffe Pty Ltd, the building sits on the Esplanade strip between Aplin and Shields streets and includes street access to Abbott St. It takes up on 1886 square metres of space. Two months ago, Craig Meiklejohn announced the family was putting it on the market with plans to sell the property for $6 million to $8 million.
According to the Cairns Post, the family is now talking to the GA Group, which is owned by Syrian billionaire Ghasson Aboud.
The council is also looking at the GA Group Australia’s application for a $100 million hotel and apartment complex.
The GA Group is planning to build it on vacant land on the crossroad of Abbott, Aplin and Lake Streets. It had formally lodged its development application for the $100 million project on Abbott St. This application is also recommended for approval.
The GA Group hopes construction could begin early next year. It anticipates the project to be completed by early 2019.
The two projects are within one block of each other.
And as such, they have been earmarked as significant hotel developments for Cairns.
The council report recommends the development for approval, subject to “reasonable and relevant conditions”.
“The development proposal represents an appropriate and well-considered mixed-use project that substantially achieves the desired built form and tropical urbanism policy outcomes expressed within CairnsPlan,” the report says.
by Leon Gettler, December 14th 2016
