Coogee Bay Hotel: Planners determine fate of waterfront venue after residents, developers make last minute pitch

A major redevelopment of the Coogee Bay Hotel has been determined despite a last-minute attempt by locals for the plans to be scrapped. Here is what we know.

A planning meeting to determine the proposal included concerns about what key noise modelling data for the $111m development was not handed over.

A major redevelopment of the Coogee Bay Hotel has been given the green light after a three-year planning battle and campaign signed by almost 10,000 residents for the project to be stopped in its tracks.

The heritage listed venue is one step closer to undergoing a $111 million redevelopment that will see parts of the waterfront site demolished to make way for the constructions of 58 apartments, a six storey shop top housing building, an “eat street” with 11 retail tenancies and a new three-storey hotel wing.

The project was approved by the Sydney East Planning Panel following a two-hour meeting attended by developers, Randwick Council and residents last week.

Speaking of their objections, several locals raised concerns over the development’s impact on noise, views, overshadowing, and loss heritage.

One resident said the scale of the development could change the low-key look and feel of the suburb and set a precedent for Coogee to become a “canyon” dominated by medium and high-rise buildings.

A concept image of the redevelopment.

Another sticking point for residents was the demolition of Selina’s, the famed beachside bar that over the decades has hosted the likes of Elton John and Nirvana.

Other residents voiced their concerns over their loss of ocean views from adjoining apartment buildings, with some saying the scale of the development will create a “great wall” outside their windows.

Resident Hector Abbott said the development could also result in major disruptions for the thriving beachside suburb during lengthy construction periods.

The development includes a new laneway to be named ‘Selina’s’ in honour of the live music venue.

“The noise, traffic congestion and general intrusion on enjoyment will mean people will be forced to shop elsewhere,” he said.

“Approving this development will kill Coogee and will turn it into a ghost town.”

At times, the meeting turned tense when planning consultants came under fire from planning panel members about why they not providing details of key noise impact modelling data.

The consultants told the meeting the data had undergone multiple changes during the lengthy planning process and therefore was not able to be easily understood by a third party in its current form.

But planning Panel member Alice Spizzo said that rationale was “pretty patronising”.

The development will overlook the Coogee foreshore.

“The modelling is fundamental (and) given the impact on the neighbourhood that information should be given,” she said.

Despite the pushback, planning representatives said the development plans have addressed many of the concerns by residents.

The plans had also been scaled down from a previous development proposal for the site in 2021 which had included up to 60 units and a supermarket.

A concept image of the development

The changes included a reduction of building height, the removal of the proposed supermarket, a reduction in basement excavation and increased retention of four heritage building facades.

A majority of planning panel members voted to approve the development, saying that the “major changes” to the proposal had “improved the bulk, scale and urban form” of the development.

Planning panel member Danny Said – who also serves as a Randwick councillor – was the sole panel member to vote against the approval saying that even though there were improvements to the original plans, the development had “still had not met community expectations.”

The panel – in its approval – stated concerns raised by the community could be “adequately addressed” by conditions of approval including the completion of a noise masterplan

Other features of the development will include an internal laneway running through the site – which will be known as ‘Selina’s Lane’ – and 159 basement carparking spaces.