Malaysian developer SKS Group has submitted fresh plans for its long-awaited DoubleTree by Hilton proposal in Fremantle, nearly six years after its original proposal was approved by planning authorities.
Malaysian developer SKS Group has submitted fresh plans for its long-awaited DoubleTree by Hilton proposal in Fremantle, nearly six years after its original proposal was approved by planning authorities.
The City of Fremantle has called for public comment on the mixed-use development, which comprises a 168-room DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel and 45 residential apartments.
A previous development application approved for the site in late 2013 called for the development of a 173-room DoubleTree hotel and 98 apartments.
SKS Group is understood to have encountered difficulties selling apartments at the Point Street development site, gaining little sales traction since the original proposal was approved.
The revised hotel proposal has been designed by 3E Design Consulting Architect in collaboration with Philip Stejkal Architecture.
Along with the hotel rooms and apartments, facilities proposed for the hotel include a bar, restaurant, function room and a gym.
“Diversity is a major element which has driven the design to ensure this development will attract a number of new businesses, stimulate investment in other properties and surrounding industries and, most importantly, increase the number of employees and residents by providing a safe environment,” the architecture groups said in the project’s development application.
“To achieve a diverse site, it is essential to introduce residential and commercial inhabitants to stimulate longer hours of activity during both day and night. This approach encourages a sense of ownership for residents, which in turn creates a safer community.”
The City of Fremantle has placed a January 14 deadline on public submissions, with a public information session scheduled for early in the new year.
SKS Group opened its DoubleTree by Hilton Northbridge earlier this year and is nearing completion of another DoubleTree property at Barrack Square.
The developer also has plans to create a 122-room Garden Inn by Hilton at Cockburn Central.
The City of Fremantle said the project was one of several new hotels in the development pipeline for the port city, with the historic Warders Cottages on Henderson Street being converted into a boutique 11-room hotel, and a 141-room hotel included in an application to redevelop the Woolstores Shopping Centre.
A proposal to redevelop the heritage-listed Police and Courthouse into a 62-room hotel and restaurant precinct have also been approved by Fremantle council.
The development proposals follow the 2014 opening of Fremantle’s Hougoumont Hotel on Bannister Street, as well as the 2017 opening of Quest Fremantle, a 122-room hotel located on Pakenham Street.
