Pavilion plan pulled
CONTROVERSIAL plans to revamp the Burleigh Pavilion as a “hotel” have been abandoned.
The Pavilion’s owners have withdrawn an application to the Gold Coast City Council to have the venue reclassified as a commercial hotel.
The Pavilion, owned by Sydney hotelier Ben May, had wanted the council to approve hotel use for about 600sq m of the upper floor level of its restaurant.
A report presented to council in 2020 said the proposed change in use would enable greater flexibility from a licensing perspective.
The application was withdrawn last week.
Mr May did not return calls from the Bulletin on Monday.
Burleigh MP Michael Hart, who has long opposed the proposal, said it was a “victory for commonsense”.
“For the time being the proponent has decided not to proceed, though there is nothing stopping them from putting in the application again,” he said.
“They have been trying to get the government to change the lease conditions but if they were to operate as a hotel they would have been able to change their operating hours.
“We are already having trouble there now and I have been getting a lot of complaints from my constituents, especially those who are neighbours to the Pavilion, so this is a great result.”
Mr May controversially announced in April he was not renewing the lease of the Pavilion’s popular coffee shop Nook and intended to operate the tenancy himself.
Mr Hart (pictured) repeatedly criticised the proposal in recent months, warning it would result in “drunk and drug-affected people causing trouble in our town all night, every night”.
Mr May submitted plans in 2020 for a new pool on the same footprint as the existing one, along with a cafe, sauna, steam room and change rooms. Its hours of operation had not been expected to change from 6am to 12am Monday to Sunday.
The plans were amended to create pilates and other fitness space over much of the existing pool area.
A smaller rehab pool, separated into hot and cold sections, was included in the latest drawings in the application, while the cafe is planned to become a restaurant at night.