Arthur Laundy sells pub development site to Monarch for A$30 million
Rich lister and hospitality veteran Arthur Laundy has sold a greenfield hotel development site in Cobbitty, south-west Sydney, to Joel Fisher’s Monarch Group for nearly A$30 million.
The site will be transformed into the Oxley Ridge Tavern and was originally acquired through a joint venture involving the Cottle, Laundy and Wearn families. The hotel development has planning approval and is set to commence later this year.
Laundy plans to reinvest the capital into other projects, including his growing accommodation hotel portfolio on the New South Wales Central Coast and Queensland’s Gold Coast.
Monarch will apply a familiar development model to Oxley Ridge, building on the success of its Willowdale Hotel. Since its 2023 debut, Willowdale has become one of Sydney’s top gaming and hospitality venues, with electronic gaming machine revenue rankings rising from 339th in June 2023 to 36th by December 2025.
The Oxley Ridge Tavern is Monarch’s fifth greenfield hospitality development, joining a growing portfolio that includes the Central Hotel in Shellharbour, Flagstone Tavern in Brisbane, and the award-winning Waterfront Tavern in Shell Cove. The deal was brokered by HTL Property’s Andrew Jolliffe and Dan Dragicevich.
Elsewhere in Sydney, Capitel Group and Rebel Property Group are leading a A$1 billion redevelopment of the InterContinental Hotel site in Double Bay. Designed by Cox Architecture, the project will deliver high-end retail and dining, luxury accommodation, cinemas, office suites, and residential apartments.
Meanwhile, Freecity Group has secured its second major site in Sydney Olympic Park, with plans for a A$1.5 billion mixed-use precinct across 3 Figtree Drive and 6 Herb Elliott Avenue.
Jonathan Jackson, 7th April 2025
