The Cambridge Hotel in Newcastle West will close its doors in June 2023 to make space for an ambitious 19 storey student accommodation redevelopment.
Property developer, Linkcity, has planned to invest $110 million in a student hub within the heart of the new Newcastle CBD.
Following a pre-development application review, and the approval of a development application by City of Newcastle and the Hunter Joint Regional Planning Panel, The Cambridge Hotel would stop trading in June 2023 when its lease expires.
In collaboration with the student accommodation provider, UniLodge, construction would begin in July 2023, and students would move in by January 2025.
Linkcity Australia Managing Director Nicolas Swiderski said they had been looking for a Newcastle site for years and had finally found the perfect spot.
“The project aligns with the 2041 Hunter Regional plan for a 15-minute city, with the students having a very short commute to the University of Newcastle NUSpace and Honeysuckle Campuses either walking, bike riding or one light rail stop,” Swiderski said.
“Additionally, students will be able to hop on the train two stops to the traditional Callaghan campus. There is also a hotel next door for visiting friends and relatives.
“Providing 500 additional beds in the city centre for students will hopefully free up some of the rental housing stock which is in such high demand.”
Swiderski said the new development would not have a licensed venue as it did not meet the objectives of providing a safe space for young people.
“Our goal is to create a safe sanctuary for young people who may be living away from home for the first time. We will partner with Australia’s most experienced student accommodation provider UniLodge to make sure we achieve this goal,” he said.
“These students will bring a new vibrancy to the Newcastle CBD, spending money, eating out, and looking for part-time employment. It will be a long-term economic lift for the CBD.”
The proposed building is 19 storeys with just over 500 rooms where students would choose to live in shared cluster flats with semi-private lounge and dining quarters, single studios or shared studios.
Other features would include over 1,000sqm of indoor recreation and over 800sqm of outdoor recreation spaces for students to lounge, play music, watch movies, cook shared meals, record a podcast or enjoy a game of pool and table tennis.
The building’s 1940s art deco features would be retained, and the rendered all black ground floor facade would be opened up, offering dining and retail opportunities—some of the upper-level pub bedrooms would be re-used as music, study, podcast and e-sports rooms.
Per modern student accommodation demands, Swiderski said there would be limited parking on-site, and students would be encouraged to utilise the transport interchange or use pathways and cycleways to travel within the city.
Swiderski said they would focus on sustainability, and the building would be operationally carbon neutral, have solar panels on the rooftop, and target a 5-star Green Star certification.
Linkcity’s sister company, A W Edwards, would build the project if the development received approval.
“We are delighted to be working with Linkcity on this exciting project in Newcastle,” CEO of A W Edwards, Greg D’Arcy, said.
“A project of this scale will generate around 500 jobs during construction. We look forward to working with regional suppliers and tradespeople as we do on our projects in Port Macquarie to deliver this groundbreaking project.”
The next steps will see the pre-development application lodged and the Hunter Joint Regional Planning Panel assess the project and approve it.
Hayley McMahon