Keppel St Bathurst: $28m concept masterplan for tourism, cultural and residential precinct

A $28m residential, cultural and tourism precinct which could “transform” the CBD of Bathurst has been proposed. Here are the plans.

Image of the proposed tourism, cultural and residential precinct at 7 Keppel St and 67 Havannah St, Bathurst.

Multimillion-dollar plans for a mixed-use development that will “transform” the Bathurst CBD have been submitted to council.

The $28 million concept masterplan for 7 Keppel St and 67 Havannah St, before Bathurst Regional Council, proposes hotel accommodation including a nine room heritage boutique hotel in the existing Victoria Stores Building, a new 80 room boutique hotel and 10 rooms in the existing concrete silos.

According to the developer the concept includes “various residential offerings at the rear of the site”, with 28 one-bedroom apartments, four two-bedroom apartments, 12 two-bedroom terraces and four one-bedroom mews.

The plans also include “a wide range of complementary mixed-use retail and food and beverage offerings comprising of 28 tenancies”.

These tenancies could include a bookshop, cafes, wine bar, restaurants, distillery, roof top bar above the timber silos – within the existing building – and a wool and knitwear shops.

Illustration of the retail and commercial plans.

Renders of the concept development application at 7 Keppel Street and 67 Havannah Street, Bathurst.

“[A] range of commercial offerings across the site … comprising of [a] hotel reception, guest library, exhibition space/art gallery, farmers market, event and function space, art house cinema and commercial kitchen,” the developer said.

“[There will be] 46 residential on-site carparking spaces, one accessible space, bicycle accommodation, and an EV charging station.”

Plans also revealed an electric bus service from Circular Quay in Sydney to Bathurst, seating approximately 42 people, with the applicant willing to discuss a “formal agreement”, ensuring alternative transport to reduce the “need of individual car usage”.

Ultimately, the idea of the concept development is “to act as a catalyst for the transformation of Bathurst to create a residential, cultural and tourism precinct and create a desirable visitor destination”.

The application is on exhibition until January 30, 2023.