A major redevelopment proposal for the Royal Pacific Hotel in Lane Cove North has been reviewed by the Housing Development Authority (HDA). The HDA has declared the proposed development a State Significant Development (SSD).
The developer plans to transform the existing site into a 20-storey residential building. The property is currently zoned R4 High Density Residential. The maximum building height in the Lane Cove Local Environment Plan is 12m.
Where is the Royal Pacific Hotel?
The Royal Pacific Hotel is located at 472-480 Pacific Highway, Lane Cove North.
Before being known as The Royal Pacific Hotel, it was previously branded as the Artarmon Inn or the Artarmon Motor Inn. In 2003, a development application was lodged to convert the motel into studio apartments. This development application was withdrawn.
The building is a seven-storey brick motel, and improvements include a swimming pool, bitumen car park, and concrete and bitumen driveways. There are 64 guest rooms and one manager’s residence across the building’s seven storeys. It was built in the 1960’s.
The Royal Pacific Hotel was listed for sale in late 2023. The media release issued at the start of the sale process noted that the hotel has undergone a significant $1.31 million capital expenditure program, which included work on the rooms, corridors, back-of-house facilities and internal walling.
The media release also noted the site’s redevelopment potential. The media release included:
“Given the property’s large landholding and locality, the asset also offers strong long-term redevelopment and repositioning potential. These outcomes may include the addition of approximately 36 guest rooms to the current inventory and the redevelopment into approximately 70–80 residential apartments, subject to relevant planning approvals.
The scale and strategic nature of this asset, coupled with Sydney’s continued hotel and tourism market recovery, is expected to generate significant investor interest from a variety of both domestic and international capital sources.”
Developer’s Plans
The Developer plans to build 142 apartments. There will be 5% affordable housing provided. The building will be 20 storeys.
State Significant Development Pathway
The NSW government established the Housing Development Authority to fast-track housing supply. The HDA has the power to recommend projects that meet certain criteria be declared SSDs by the Minister for Planning.
This pathway allows major residential projects to bypass local council approval process.
The process is as follows:
Stage 1 – Expression of Interest
The applicant submits an Expression of Interest (EOI) online outlining the proposal and addressing the criteria.
Stage 2 – Planning Prepares A Report
The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure reviews the EOI and prepares a briefing to support the HDA’s evaluation.
Stage 3 – HDA evaluates
HDA evaluates the EOI against relevant criteria and provides advice and recommends to the Minister that the project could be declared as a state-significant project.
Stage 4 – Minister declares
The Minister reviews the HDA advice and declares the proposals to be state-significant development. The Minister declared the Royal Pacific Hotel site a state-significant development on 9th September 2025.
Stage 5 – Applicant lodges request for SEARs
The Applicant requests the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs). The SEARS issued to the developer requires the developer to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and to undertake community consultation.
Stage 6 Environmental Impact Statement/Development Application
Applicant lodges EIS with the Department (must be within 9 months of SEARs being issued).
Stage 7 Assessment and community consultation
The Department undertakes a merit assessment of the SSD/SSD with concurrent rezoning. This includes each of the legislated SSD steps, including public exhibition of SSD, and where applicable, concurrent rezoning detail approval.
Stage 8 Determination
The minister or delegate determines SSD and concurrent rezoning.
The NSW government has promoted the primary benefit of the SSD pathway as a significantly reduced assessment timeframe.
The HDA provides a single, consistent set of criteria for evaluation, which can reduce the uncertainty often associated with local planning decisions that vary from one council to another.
While the SSD pathway aims to expedite housing delivery, it is not without its critics.
Local councils and community groups frequently express concerns about the erosion of community input and the potential for a “one-size-fits-all” approach to development.
A project of this scale will raise questions about local infrastructure and traffic congestion on the Pacific Highway. One issue that has been raised with ITC in the past is the noise from the air conditioning unit at the Royal Pacific Hotel; some residents may be relieved that they will no longer have to endure the noise from the air conditioning unit.
The developer will be required to undertake community consultation, and the next step is for neighbours to check their letterboxes over the next month or so. The developer community engagement consultants will conduct letterbox drops to neighbours seeking feedback.
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