NSW Planning rejects Star’s $500m Ritz Carlton tower

Friday 26th of July 2019

NSW’s Department of Planning has recommended the rejection of Star Entertainment Group’s proposed $500 million Ritz-Carlton branded hotel tower, local media reports.

Last year, the casino company proposed a 66-story Ritz Carlton-branded tower, to be situated next to its casino building in Pyrmont.

The tower would see 220 Ritz-Carlton hotel rooms and 200 high-end residences, which would join the company’s casino building.

The application also includes more food and beverage options and a neighborhood center, and was developed in partnership with Hong Kong-based Chow Tai Fook Holdings and Far East Consortium, which are also its partners in a major redevelopment of the Queen’s Wharf in central Brisbane.

However, the planning department expressed concerns that the development lacked alignment with the emerging government planning direction or response to the local character of Pyrmont.

“While numerous taller buildings are situated within Darling Harbour and Barangaroo, these form part of cohesive clusters of high-density buildings, associated with strategically identified precincts,” planning authorities said.

“The same context does not apply to the Star site.”

“The plan would introduce a new tower form that is inconsistent with its immediate context and would result in unacceptable visual impacts due to its scale, isolation and visual dominance of the existing Pyrmont character and fails to promote good design and amenity of the built environment.”

The final decision of whether the building will go ahead will go to the Independent Planning Commission.