a9292716.html
345
announced that an international hotel would be built on the site by an Australian-Japanese consortium. The Japanese investor was the giant developer Kunagai-Gumi. According to the Premier's press release:
"The planned hotel would be built at a cost of $100 million on a prime site facing Macquarie Place...
"The hotel, to be completed by 1988, will have 400 to 500 rooms, a ballroom, conference rooms, a business centre, a swimming pool, a health club and bars and restaurants. It will provide about 500 permanent jobs."
The current lease on the hotel was due to expire on 11 February, 1984. Kevin Grimm had now received a curt letter from the Joint Coal Board which indicated that the tenancy would not be continued beyond that date. A long-time Labor supporter, with strong connections at the Trades Hall, Grimm could not understand why a good bloke like Neville Wran would allow him to be thrown out of his pub.
No plans of the proposed international hotel had yet been made public. However, from the press reports, it was obvious that redevelopment would require vacant posession to allow demolition of the old buildings. Since the new hotel would face Macquarie Place, the line of old buildings on the edge were obviously under threat. There was a rumour that they would be replaced by an open concourse, designed to sweep patrons towards