Plans lodged to develop historic Coffs Harbour CBD building

It was Coffs’ first funeral parlour before it was transformed into a popular nightclub. Here’s what’s next for one of our oldest commercial buildings.

One of Coffs' earliest commercial buildings in the CBD will be given a new lease of life.

From a funeral parlour to a nightclub, one of Coffs Harbour’s earliest CBD buildings with a colourful history may soon get a new lease of life.

Plans have been lodged with Coffs Harbour City Council to transform the historic building on Little St and Park Lane into a mixed-used tourist accommodation and retail premises, as the owners say it has become increasingly difficult to find tenants for the building.

The building, which currently contains a hairdressing salon, an art workshop, small office space and other vacant spaces, will instead feature two new serviced apartments and two shops if approved.

The rear entry of the building on Park Lane.

The works, which include renovations and a rooftop garden, would retain historic elements of the building dating back to when it operated as Coffs’ first ever funeral home up until the 80s.

The building then operated as a nightclub for several years under a number of different names, including Daisy’s and Caesar’s, until it was transformed again into an office space before its current use.

Coffs Harbour local Evan Moody has been part-owner of the building alongside his wife Catherine McKimm since 1991.

“We’ve had it for some time but in this day and age it’s quite hard to rent it out, so we thought it was time to do something different with it,” Mr Moody said.

Property owner Evan Moody said it had become difficult to find tenants for the CBD building.

“My wife is a lawyer and we had it as her legal offices for many years. But it was originally developed as the first funeral parlour in Coffs so there’s a lot of nice things about it, like its timber floors and vaulted ceiling and the original chapel in the funeral parlour.

“People do often say they remember when it was a nightclub – I think it brings back the hangovers for them.”

The art space at the rear entry will be retained to contribute to the Council’s attempts to activate the CBD’s laneways by introducing street art.

Plans have been lodged to transform one of Coffs Harbour's oldest commercial buildings.

It is hoped that the new plans will tie in with a brewpub from King Tide Brewery, which is under construction further down Park Lane, to help activate the area.

An application was also recently approved in the CBD to undertake a major redevelopment of the dated City Centre Arcade and transform it into a $44m mixed-use retail and apartment building.

Construction on the project, which is being undertaken by the C.ex Group, will kick off next year. The building will include 95 apartments, 155 car parking spaces and seven retail spaces with an open-to-air public laneway.