Revised development plans for Buckingham Arms Hotel site at Gilberton

A determined developer has lodged revised plans for the historic and contentious Buckingham Arms Hotel site, amid a court battle over an earlier proposal.

New renders of the three-storey townhouse design submitted by Citify for the development behind Gilberton's Buckingham Arms Hotel. Picture: Supplied/Citify

New plans for a 29-townhouse development behind the historic Buckingham Arms Hotel have been lodged in a dramatic downscaling of earlier contentious plans.

Citify has confirmed it submitted revised plans for the 29 three-storey townhouses with Walkerville council in the latest bid to develop the site.

Each would have three bedrooms and two bathrooms, with two internally accessible car parks, with the maximum building height of 10.5m.

Citify anticipated completion within 12 months of approval.

The latest plans come as an alternative to a previous application that included a 10-storey, 193-home mixed used apartment complex built behind the Buckingham Arms hotel – but was ultimately rejected by the State Commission Assessment Panel.

New renders of the three-storey townhouse design submitted by Citify for the development behind Gilberton's Buckingham Arms Hotel. Picture: Supplied/Citify

Citify has appealed that decision in the Environment Resources and Development Court, but in the interim has lodged revised plans which managing director Joel Wilkinson hopes would get approved.

“We have proposed to SCAP a refined design of our original planning application and we are hopeful of reaching a positive outcome through the court appeal but we also recognise that the legal process has its risks and that that there are no guarantees that the decision will fall in our favour,” Mr Wilkinson said.

“In light of this, we have taken a prudent and commercially responsible decision to lodge a separate application with the (Town) of Walkerville for an alternative townhouse development which will provide high-end architecturally designed living befitting of the location together with restoration of the historic Buckingham Arms hotel.

“The proposal satisfies the planning requirements of the zone and we would expect construction could take 12 months if approved by the (Town) of Walkerville.

New renders of the three-storey townhouse design submitted by Citify for the development behind Gilberton's Buckingham Arms Hotel. Picture: Supplied/Citify

“The Buckingham Arms site has been vacant for far too long and we are committed to delivering an attractive destination for new residents and the wider community.”

The revised plans are separate to the court process.

A Walkerville council spokeswoman confirmed the three-storey, 29 townhouse development application was undergoing verification.

“The Buckingham Arms is a historic site and a significant gateway into Walkerville,” she said.

“Council is supportive of development, as long as an application achieves the right balance between growth, locality and impact to the community, as well as heritage considerations.”

The new development proposal does not rule out the 10-storey development.