Hotel Plans for Star Casino in Australia Rejected

The proposals that Star Entertainment Group in Australia has put forward for a huge hotel in Sydney have been refused, sending the casino group back the drawing board. There had been hopes to build a giant hotel tower in the city but the Independent Planning Commission (IPC) has vetoed the idea, blocking it permanently.

Star had been very keen on the idea of the hotel tower structure, and said it would bring in significant revenue to the city but the IPC has binned the proposal, sending the casino’s plans right back to the square one.

Mixed reaction 

The refusal from the IPC perhaps shouldn’t come as the greatest surprise as there had already been some mixed reactions from the public. The design included a giant vertical column that would stretch right up into the sky, towering over the buildings surrounding it.

And in truth, that was part of the problem because the city has a relatively low skyline, and the hotel tower will be a jarring contradiction to the existing cityscape. Although there were some supporters of the town, there was a large proportion who were opposed to the idea due to the aesthetics.

The NSW Planning Department was one of the first to voice its concerns over the impact of the tower even though NSW Premier Glady Berejiklianwas was one of those supporting its construction. With Sydney’s Lord Mayor Clover Moore also opposed to the hotel tower, there has been real dissent about whether the project should go ahead.

Ultimately the decision came down to the IPC who felt that having a 777-foot tower would be “overly obtrusive” and said that it failed to mesh with existing strategic visions for use of land in the city.

Some of the objections against the tower included the fact that it would be eight times taller than current regulations allow and that luxury apartments would be included in an area which has been given permission for commercial activity only.

The IPC upheld the previous decision from the NSW Planning Department to decline permission, agreeing that the potential benefits to the tower did not outweigh the negatives that would be created.

Considering next steps

The casino group is now considering what to do next and has issued a statement to say it is “digesting” the decision. It has hinted that it may pull the plug on the development completely, saying that it hopes the refusal won’t prove to be a “lost opportunity” for the city.