A Newcastle developer is cornering the market on key building sites in Newcastle's emerging central business district after buying the West End Hotel.
Spartahori Pty Ltd built the Mine Super building on the corner of Stewart Avenue and King Street, and the Gateway 2 building, Newcastle council's new home, on the corner of Stewart Avenue and Hunter Street.
Late last week the company snapped up the dilapidated West End pub on another Stewart Avenue corner, across the road from Gateway 2, for a price estimated at more than $2 million.
The small 647-square metre site has a 90-metre height limit, the tallest in the city, but the Newcastle Herald understands the new owners are contemplating a commercial building more in keeping with its six-storey redevelopment across the road.
A spokesman said the busy intersection was "arguably one of the best corners" in Newcastle.
He said access to the site was easier and signage opportunities greater than in other areas of the city.
Newcastle is awash with new office buildings under construction, including GWH Build's Darby Plaza, the 16-storey Birdwood Business Centre and DOMA Group's 16,000-square metre Store project next to Newcastle Interchange.
A building on the constrained West End site could target smaller tenants.
Meanwhile, the Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel has deferred a decision on approving the 15-storey Wests City redevelopment.
Wests Group has applied to build a tower of apartments and another for seniors living on a wedge-shaped site in King Street.
The planning panel met on December 8 to determine the development application but has asked Wests to amend the clearance height in the basement to allow access for council garbage trucks.
The panel otherwise supported the project as an "appropriate design" for the site.
"The development will provide significant improvement to the streetscape, amenity and activation of the site and precinct, and includes a positive and considered mix of land uses and housing options with quality communal spaces," the panel wrote.
The panel rejected Wests' request to have a public laneway and landscaping included in its City of Newcastle public art contribution, which requires developers on key sites to spend 1 per cent of the project costs on public art works.
The towers, designed by Melbourne architects Fender Katsalidis, will sit between the Wests City licensed club and the McDonald's restaurant to the west.
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