Toowoomba’s Shamrock Hotel mostly demolished ahead of major revamp, name change through new owners
Barely anything remains of an infamous Toowoomba CBD pub, with teams demolishing much of what sat on the site ahead of a full renovation and name change. See the video here:
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The facade of an iconic and occasionally notorious pub in Toowoomba’s CBD has been all but swept away ahead of a major revamp and name change.
Barely anything remains of the Shamrock Hotel on Ruthven Street, with Burke Demolitions carrying out works on the site ahead of a full renovation under FKG Group subsidiary GFG Projects as lead contractor.
Once completed, the new venue will be named the Bower Hotel and sport a new colour scheme of white and green.
It comes more than a year after former Australian Hoteliers Association vice-president Pat Gurr and a group of investors received approval by the Toowoomba Regional Council for a “minor change” to the pub.
The changes include significant demolitions throughout the venue to rearrange the floor plan, turning the front bar section into an outdoor terrace and moving the pokies room closer to the front of the pub.
The owners will open up the roof at the rear to create an al fresco dining area with the bistro and the designated smoking area will actually be located within the pub itself in a special space with no roof.
The council’s planning officer Katrina Christensen agreed the change application was minor in her December 2023 assessment report, saying the applicants had “extensively considered and justified the building changes, reduced carparking rate and service vehicle access”.
Mr Gurr, who is working with Toowoomba men Andrew Kibble and David MacTaggart on the project, bought the pub through his company TBPH Pty Ltd in late 2021, but the sale wasn’t settled for another seven months.
Documents for a previous change application lodged to the council early in 2022 show the previous owner Wayne Lee attempt a boundary realignment on the site, that would have reduced the number of car parks owned by the hotel and suggested the new owners would carry out demolitions to help it comply with TRC carparking requirements.
In a letter to the council just two months before settlement, TBPH Pty Ltd’s solicitor Michael Potts of Mullins Lawyers delivered a sharp rebuke to this proposal.
“Our client is astounded to hear what has been put forward to council by the property owner,” the letter said.
“Firstly, we advise our client has no intention of demolishing the existing structures.
“Our client does have plans to refurbish the hotel, which is in a rundown condition, but certainly not demolish the structures.
“The proposal by the property owner that council impose a requirement for the removal of structures is totally unacceptable to our client and will cause significant loss.”
The application was withdrawn the following month.
GFG Projects has been contacted for comment around the works.
Originally published as Toowoomba’s Shamrock Hotel mostly demolished ahead of major revamp, name change through new owners
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