Leading Australian property group Aqualand is planning its first hotel and build-to-rent (BTR) project, with the proposed development in North Sydney to offer 240 hotel rooms and about 225 BTR apartments.

The company has lodged a Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) request for a mixed-use tower to be built on the site of its existing commercial building at 132 Arthur Street, North Sydney.

Rising 40 storeys high, the building will feature 25 storeys of BTR apartments above hotel rooms spread across 12 storeys as well as ground floor food and beverage offerings, a hotel lobby and conference space. Centrally positioned in the rejuvenated North Sydney CBD, the development is just 450 metres from North Sydney Station and 250 metres from the Victoria Cross Metro Station, which is due to open next month.

The submission highlights Aqualand’s ability to tailor its project offering to ideally suit its location and better serve the needs of the local community. The hotel will, therefore, capitalise on North Sydney’s lack of mid-range highly curated hotel accommodation, while the BTR offering seeks to leverage the growing demand for high quality, professionally managed, and ideally located rentable residences.

“We’re excited to progress our third residential project in the North Sydney Council. This project will also see our first foray into the hotel space, which demonstrates our unique ability to pivot to whatever best suits the location,” Aqualand’s group managing director Jin Lin says.

“We look forward to offering something you’d expect to see in Surry Hills, more so than North Sydney, and have taken inspiration from hotels you’d expect to find in New York’s East Village, Shoreditch in London, or even Berlin.

“We’re deeply committed to the North Sydney area as evidenced by our award-winning BLUE at Lavender Bay, which was completed in 2021, the recent completion of our AURA by Aqualand precinct at 168 Walker Street, and now this second mixed-use tower.

“Etymon Projects, our lifestyle and hospitality arm, has delivered four new venues in AURA’s podium level, which are set to open with the rest of the building this month. These world-class hospitality venues will be added to Etymon’s existing portfolio in the area, which already includes Loulou Bistro in Milsons Point and Poetica at 1 Denison Street, to further strengthen North Sydney’s appeal as a thriving precinct.

“However, our ultimate commitment remains with our future residents, and we look forward to providing them with an extremely high-quality rental product, with a large range of amenities and services, specifically designed to elevate their lifestyle, while encouraging a sense of community and inclusiveness,” he notes.

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