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An ambitious plan to build a 38-room, three-storey boutique hotel is underway in Broken Hill with an estimated project cost of over $12 million.
Key points:
- Locals Selina LaRovere-Nagas, Esther LaRovere and Fisk Nagas are behind the plan
- The build would feature a ground floor car park, reception, front lobby and rooftop terrace
- Demolition of the site's existing building would begin in October
Local Selina LaRovere-Nagas, co-owner of the Palace Hotel, is behind the plan, alongside her sister Esther LaRovere and husband Fisk Nagas.
The proposed site of the hotel is a vacant building space 20 metres away from the Palace on Argent Street, with a development application lodged with Broken Hill City Council.
Broken Hill Mayor Tom Kennedy said it was an exciting proposal for the city.
"Any new accommodation houses have to be welcomed by the city especially [when] we're looking at growing the city and we're looking at dramatically increasing tourism numbers into Broken Hill."
Public space idea
Mrs LaRovere-Nagas said the hotel would also feature a ground floor car park, reception, front lobby and a couple of commercial tenancies.
She said there would also be a rooftop terrace that they would like to see used as a public space.
"We could probably have up to 300 people on that rooftop terrace," she said.
"We've got the capacity to have other events there — conferences, the [Broken] Heel festival could take advantage of it.
Mrs LaRovere-Nagas said they were confident there was a real market to extend the local accommodation space for the tourism and the corporate sector, with a number of projects in the pipeline for the region.
She said they had just engaged Hutchinson Builders to undertake works, and were hoping to start demolition of the site's existing building in October, with a potential 10 to 12 month build after that.
'Very welcome'
Chair of Business Far West New South Wales Karren Howe said the hotel could service a local need for more executive accommodation.
"For the executive people that want to be closer to the CBD but don't necessarily have transport themselves," she said.
Chair of Destination Country and Outback NSW Clyde Thomson said the plan was very welcome.
His group provided financial backing for the recent Mundi Mundi Bash music festival and he said they had to work around a lack of accommodation spaces in the city.
"The only reason why we chose the Big [Red] Bash to come to Broken Hill was because they could bring their accommodation with them through RVs," he said.