THE Merewether Beach Hotel has sold for more than $30 million to Sydney hotelier Glenn Piper and a small syndicate including three Novocastrians.
Mr Piper, who has family members in Newcastle who alerted him when the iconic hotel was put on the market, said that he has no "immediate" plans to proceed with the controversial development application for the pub that was recently obtained by the building's former owner, Andrew Lazarus.
"We are going to continue trading as is until we understand the local residents and the community and ... the history and heritage before leaping into construction," he said.
"I'm not rushing any refurbishment decisions. I respect how significant the pub is to its community - it is important that I spend time in the venue and meeting locals before making plans for its future."
Mr Piper, who owns Sydney's Harbord Hotel and recently took over the leasehold of Q Station on the headland on Sydney's northern beaches, said the keys to the pub would be handed over in July.
He said the hotel would trade "as usual" through the coming summer before any decision was made on potentially proceeding with the DA.
In February, the Land and Environment Court approved plans for a $3 million renovation of the landmark hotel, with the ruling effectively formalising the pub's approval to open its ground floor to 3am every night except Sunday.
Mr Lazarus had signalled he would like the pub to stay open until 3am, a move opposed by many nearby residents. Newcastle council rejected the plans in June, expressing concerns about 3am trading and impacts on neighbours, prompting Mr Lazarus to take the matter to the LEC.
Questioned whether he would proceed with the $3 million DA proposal, Mr Piper said he understood that the hotel was in a residential precinct not dissimilar to the area near the Harbord Hotel.
"We have a lot of experience in managing acoustics and managing safety of a venue in a residential area, so I'm confident there will be a robust management plan to ensure minimal disruption to the neighbourhood," he said.
He said the management plan included "a bulking up of security" to encourage the "quiet departure" of guests.
"We don't intend to make any immediate plans on executing the DA plan. When you have a property as such rich history as the Beach Hotel I want to understand that history more, to understand how the pub has been serving the community. Those views will inform the look and feel and offering that the Beach Hotel provides moving forward."
A keen surfer, Mr Piper said he had memories of the hotel from childhood, when his father used to take him and his mates north to surf at Merewether.
He has family members he said alerted him that the pub was on sale "the first day it hit the market", and that they would be "coming on board as investors, which makes the sale even more special."
Mr Piper heads a syndicate of eight, three of them being local, and two of those being family members.
"They are great people with a genuine and infectious love of Newcastle," he said.
Mr Piper said that he had a "real affinity" for the ocean and beach culture and that he loved the heritage aspect of the "truly magnificent" Merewether hotel.
"It stands so prominently on its intersection there and I think that it being so connected to the beach culture has drawn me to it," he said.
According to a media statement released on Monday afternoon, Mr Piper and his Meridian Australia group's transformation of Harbord Hotel "took its cues from Freshwater's history" to create a "true beachside haven informed by the surf culture that has long been embedded in its name."
The statement said Mr Piper was "spending time" at the Q Station site before finalising refurbishment plans.
