It has been nearly one year since The Star Entertainment Group’s proposal for a casino was rejected by the New South Wales planning authorities. The plan was to build a 237-meter tower adjoining its existing Pyrmont-based casino complex, something that did not sit very well with authorities because the proposed height of the proposed tower was double what it is currently permitted under the existing planning rules for Pyrmont.
It certainly took a bit of time but the company has finally bounced back with a whole new plan for a new expansion project for its property. The new proposal is a revision of the initial proposal and comes after the government of New South Wales released plans to reshape Pyrmont.
What’s in The New Proposal?
As stated in the newly-unveiled proposal, the Star Entertainment Group now wants to build two towers on the northern and southern ends of its complex. The tower that will be on the northern end will be 110 meters tall while the tower that will be on the southern end of the existing complex will be 180 meters tall.
Still, the 110-meter tower will face some trouble since its height is nearly twice what is allowed by the authorities in that particular area. If approved, the tower would have up to 250 hotel rooms as well as a signature restaurant.
According to the operator, this proposal is much better than the previous one that got rejected nearly a year ago. They have also insisted that the 110-meter height is what they would need if they are going to create a six-star hotel.
It is worth noting that there are quite a few concerns with regards to the viability of both proposals. Some lawmakers have proposed a “sensitive and balanced approach to planning”. Things will, however, be made much clearer a few weeks from the time of this writing when the authorities finalize their development plans for the Pyrmont suburb.
Post-Pandemic Recovery
Just like many other casino operators in Australia and offshore betting sites in many other parts of the globe, the pandemic was accompanied by a lot of losses for The Star Entertainment Group. According to recently-released revenue figures, the company saw a 31 percent drop in revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30. Now, things are gradually beginning to go back to normalcy – it will definitely be a while before everything is back to the way it was before the pandemic but we have to appreciate all of the efforts being made.
Now, if the operator’s new casino plans are approved, locals can expect quite a lot of good things. These will come in the form of a plethora of employment opportunities at the restaurants, bars, hotels, and apartments that will be available at the towers.
Locals will start benefiting even before everything goes live. About 1,000 jobs will be available during the construction phase of the projects. The same number or even more jobs will become available when the two towers are completed and begin full operations.
