Demolition has begun at an inner-city Newcastle site to make way for an eight-storey hotel and conference centre.
Prominent hotelier Jerry Schwartz is behind the four-star hotel proposal at 317 Wharf Road that is across from Rydges Newcastle, another of his developments.
Mr Schwartz will proceed with the hotel plans ahead of the redevelopment of Newcastle Post Office, which he said was waiting on a construction certificate.
The proposal received development approval in 2016, however a modification application has been lodged seeking changes to the building layout, repositioning of columns and structural elements and to ensure compliance with current building code requirements.
The modification drew community objection, including 34 submissions to City of Newcastle and a public voice session where two residents addressed Newcastle councillors on April 26.
Their issues included the position of a loading zone, bike bays, garbage and car park being next to a residential building, building design and appearance, setbacks, traffic, parking and access, privacy, solar access and view loss.
They also argued it was the same shape and size as a boarding house plan for the site that was knocked back by the Hunter Joint Regional Planning Panel in 2019.
Meanwhile, councillors raised concern that the proposal's traffic study was completed 10 years ago.
Joshua Palmer, from Pikes and Verekers Lawyers, addressed councillors on behalf of the applicant. He said many of the issues derived from the already approved development, and the modification application did not propose to change the relationship between the development and the residential building next door.
Councillor John Church said residents were "seriously concerned" with elements of the proposal and that not taking on board that feedback, because the development already had approval, was "a middle finger up to the residents".
In response, Mr Schwartz told the Herald he was "willing to do anything that appeases everybody".
"I'm not there as a run in the dark developer," he said. "I'm there as a person that wants to help improve Newcastle and provide facilities for Newcastle.
"Obviously I want to make money out of hotels, but Newcastle fortunately requires more rooms and that's my contribution to the city, to build more rooms, to bring more people in to bolster the economy.
"But if there's any details involved, I'm happy to placate the people that want the details. If it's council's obligation for me to do a traffic study, I'll do a traffic study."
He said the position of the loading area would allow garbage trucks to pick up from two buildings at the same time, and that if parking was an issue it could be alleviated through the Wilson parking garage next door, which Mr Schwartz also owns.
A City of Newcastle spokesperson said the applicant had been asked to "provide a formal written response to the matters raised during public voice".
"Further consideration of the application will occur after the additional information has been received," the spokesperson said.
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