Plans revived for boutique hotel at Taylor Square

The plans to adaptively reuse three historic blocks at Taylor Square in inner Sydney, including a prominent corner building at 191-201 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, are back on the table.

Developer Save the Robots has submitted amended proposals after a previous rejection in 2022, aiming to transform the site into a boutique art hotel.

GALLERY  

Originally filed in June 2022, the plans were knocked back due to concerns over noncompliance with building height regulations in the Sydney Local Environment Plan. Additionally, the proposal was criticised for failing to deliver an urban design outcome that suited the location and for negatively impacting the view corridor along Oxford Street. Heritage concerns were also raised, with critics arguing that the initial plans did not sufficiently respect the fabric of the corner building, which was constructed between 1907 and 1910.

In April 2023, an appeal was lodged with the Land and Environment Court, leading to the submission of revised plans by Urbis. The updated proposal aims to address the previous concerns, seeking approval to convert the existing commercial buildings into a cohesive art hotel development. If approved, the project would rejuvenate the heritage-listed sites and adaptively reuse them, contributing to the ongoing revitalisation of Oxford Street.

The new designs, created by Neeson Murcutt and Neille Architecture, envision a boutique hotel featuring 21 rooms, an art gallery, a ground-floor café and restaurant, basement hospitality tenancies, and a rooftop bar. The development would consolidate three existing buildings on a 481.6-square-metre site, restoring and adaptively reusing the buildings at 191-195 Oxford Street. The facades of two non-heritage-listed Edwardian buildings at 199 and 201 Oxford Street would be retained, although their internal structures would be demolished and reconstructed.

Save the Robots, associated with Sydney property investor Ping Jin Ng, is also behind the acclaimed revival of the historic Paramount House in Surry Hills. The Oxford Street development is one of several challenging heritage-related projects currently before the City of Sydney, including a mixed-use development at 33 Oxford Street, Surry Hills.

As the amended plans await approval, the project represents a significant step towards preserving and revitalising Oxford Street’s heritage, while introducing a modern art hotel to one of Sydney’s most iconic locations.

Images via The Urban Developer

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