Manly Lodge: Boutique hotel on northern beaches set to be demolished and redeveloped
A hotel in the middle of Manly, popular with travellers from the bush, is at the centre of a community debate on whether it should be demolished and rebuilt. SEE THE PROPOSAL.
Manly
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Community concern is growing about a push to demolish an iconic northern beaches hotel and replace it with a much bigger five-storey building.
Owners of the popular three-level Manly Lodge Boutique Hotel want to knock it down and build a $5.2 million, 49-room modern hotel.
But neighbouring residents in Victoria Pde say the proposed redevelopment breaches height limits, obstructs views of Sydney Harbour and doesn’t have enough parking spaces.
In documents lodged with Northern Beaches Council as part of a development application, architects and project managers, Morson Group, said the scale of the building was compatible with the height and scale of nearby buildings
In January 2014 developers Yin Feng Pty Ltd bought the hotel, popular with visitors from regional NSW, for $5,156,000.
From 1955 to 1969, it was called Keera House and was used by the Country Women’s Association to provide budget accommodation for women from the country and their children.
As well as adding two storeys, the developer wants an outdoor deck on the roof — with a spa; to increase the number of rooms from 25 to 49 and provide basement parking for 22 cars.
The new hotel would also have a restaurant and a shop fronting Victoria Pde.
In 2016 the owners were given approval to demolish the building and replace it with a three-storey, 36-room hotel, but did not go ahead with that project.
Neighbours Clive Williams and Ruth Jackson told the council that the current hotel should not be demolished because it was important to the streetscape of Victoria Pde.
“We have already lost too many old buildings in this street, and at this rate it is going to end up looking like ‘Any Street, Surfers Paradise’.”
John and Kay Barry said the proposed redevelopment would seriously impact “the peace and quiet enjoyment of local residents, and be entirely inappropriate for the location. Victoria Pde is one of the most beautiful tree-lined streets in Manly.”
Kate Lorimer, who lives in an apartment block next door, said there would be too much noise, especially from the rooftop terrace.
The Council confirmed the DA was still under assessment.
In its “urban design referral response” a council officer said the building height control of 11m would be breached by up to 4.9m.
“The increased building height and bulk will also reduce view corridors of adjacent properties,” the officer’s report said. “The proposed roof deck will increase overlooking/ privacy and noise nuisance issues to surrounding properties.”
The Manly Daily contacted current hotel management and the Morson Group for comment but is yet to receive a response.