We are still waiting to hear this formally confirmed, but we have been told that the developer will withdraw their current application to demolish the Alexandria Hotel.

They had been hoping to prevent the building receiving a heritage listing. It appears they have finally recognised that the merits of the case for heritage are too strong to be ignored, and that the physical building is now safe from the threat of demolition.

This does not mean that the hotel is safe. While the developers may abandon their attempts to redevelop the site, they may also come back with a new proposal that seeks to ‘adapt’ the existing building, possibly by keeping the front of the hotel while building on part or all of the current beer garden, and possibly even building ‘into’ the upper level of the hotel.

This is a win for the community. But until we know what happens next, it isn’t over yet.