Bold plans to bring historic Hotel LA pub into the 21st Century
A historic inner-city Brisbane pub has unveiled bold plans for a facelift, including the construction of an adjoining eight-storey office tower crowned with a rooftop bar overlooking Suncorp Stadium and Brisbane River. SEE THE PICTURES
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The owners of a historic inner-city Brisbane watering hole with history that can be traced back to 1864 have unveiled bold plans to bring the pub into the 21st century, including the construction of an adjoining eight-storey office crowned with a rooftop bar overlooking Suncorp Stadium and Brisbane River.
Situated at 68 Caxton St Petrie Terrace, the Lord Alfred Hotel has lain dormant for much of the COVID-19 shutdown after receiving a significant facelift in mid-2018, which saw it renamed from Hotel LA.
However, if plans currently with Brisbane City Council are approved, the hotel would undergo yet another transformation, with the construction of an eight-storey office tower over its existing carpark, a rooftop bar run as an extension of the pub, the installation of additional kitchens and outdoor spaces, and a comprehensive refurbishment of the existing two-storey hotel.
Council approval for the eight-storey tower has previously been granted, although for short-term accommodation, which the current application seeks to modify.
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“Entry to the site from Caxton Street is altered from the approval, with the building footprint opening up from the corner to showcase the Lord Alfred Hotel extension, provide an open plaza setting and allow for a deep planting tree at ground level, and create visual interest and activation of the street through a stepped arrangement of balconies,” said planners Mewing Planning Consultants in a report submitted as part of the DA.
The pub itself, meanwhile, would undergo a comprehensive refurbishment, creating a more functional bar and function space, supplemented by additional kitchens and increased outdoor space, particularly toward Caxton Street,” Mewing said.
While there will be a “partial” demolition of the hotel to facilitate the change, this will only comprise the “removal of non-significant components of the heritage place”.
One of the pub’s owners, Mark Lynch, described the proposal as among the first of a “new wave” of developments to capitalise on State Government plans to extend the CBD and stimulate development of new commercial and residential hubs in the Roma Street Station Precinct.
“The area will directly benefit from the delivery of Cross River Rail, Brisbane Metro, Brisbane Live and Council’s rezoning of the Victoria Barracks,” Mr Lynch said.
Mr Lynch is confident of BCC approval, which he expects within the week.
