Event submit $220m plan for George St tower
The owners of Event Cinemas want to build a 150m tower above its George St business, next door to what will be Sydney’s second tallest skyscraper.
Another tower could soon rise above George St’s Event Cinemas after a concept development application for a 150m skyscraper was submitted to the City of Sydney.
Event Hospitality and Entertainment Limited is seeking approval for a 43-storey tower to be built at 525-529 George St, next to its cinema near Town Hall.
The proposed $222 million project would see the existing site demolished for a mixed-use tower comprising new theatres, a hotel and private apartments.
Despite its size, it would be dwarfed by what will be the city’s second tallest building — an approved 270m tower at 505 to 523 George St, which will be built next door by Mirvac and Coombes Property Group at a cost of $1 billion.
Event’s project would be sandwiched between the mega tower and the existing 40-storey Meriton Suites building on Kent St, which according to planning documents would be located just 24 metres south.
Event’s concept includes a new building between 39 and 43 stories tall, with five levels of basement parking.
Inside would be seven cinemas within the building’s podium across two levels and a mezzanine, a conference centre and ground floor retail space.
The proposed hotel would take up between 20 and 24 stories, while there would be 72 residential apartments spread across 12 levels.
In a planning document submitted to the council, it’s argued the redevelopment was designed to ensure its scale is “mitigated” and to establish a “positive presence in the landscape and with neighbouring buildings”.
“The proposal includes a seven-screen cinema complex which will continue the long-standing use of the site for theatre and cinema complexes,” the document states.
“The retention of cinemas will continue the site’s contribution to the entertainment options available along George St.”
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