Plans by the City of Bayswater to reopen one of Perth’s grand old hotels, the heritage-listed Peninsula Hotel in Maylands, could be scuppered by the new owners of the neighbouring Peninsula Tavern.
Plans by the City of Bayswater to reopen one of Perth’s grand old hotels, the heritage-listed Peninsula Hotel in Maylands, could be scuppered by the new owners of the neighbouring Peninsula Tavern.
Compass Hotel Group Ltd recently bought the Peninsula Tavern from Tony Buhagiar and Darryl Rowe as part of an acquisition spree across Western Australia ahead of its $123 million initial public offering, which closed oversubscribed last week.
The group has bought 12 pubs and is believed to have paid about $8 million for the Peninsula Tavern site, while well-known Perth publican Geoff Ogden is thought to have secured about $23 million for his Albion Hotel in Cottesloe and the Gosnells Hotel.
Compass’s purchase of the Peninsula Tavern came after expressions of interest for the potential development of the adjacent Peninsula Hotel closed.
The City of Bayswater is keen to reopen the historic venue to the public and is in the process of seeking to rezone the 101-year-old hotel from “public purposes” to “special purpose”, which would include permitting the development of a restaurant, tavern, offices or shop.
The Peninsula Hotel has been used as a community centre since the city took ownership of the building in 2000.
Mr Rowe told WA Business News he and Mr Buhagiar had held discussions with the council in the past 12 months about the potential to reopen the hotel and demolish their tavern to make way for car parking.
But he said the plans became “impractical”.
Ironically, it was the historic hotel that was slated to be demolished in the 1970s to make way for car parking after the then owner, Swan Brewery Co, built the Peninsula Tavern.
But a public outcry saved the hotel, which was operated by the Peninsula Association before ownership was transferred to the City of Bayswater in 2000.
City of Bayswater director of planning and development, Francesca Lefante, said the council was in discussions with potential operators but declined to specify what type of business might eventually open within the hotel.
Compass managing director Bryan Northcote said the Sydney-based pub operator was not in discussions with the City of Bayswater about a possible redevelopment of the hotel.
He said Compass bought the Peninsula Tavern because it was the only tavern licence in Maylands, not because it wanted to develop the historic hotel.
Mr Northcote said the group would resist moves from anyone wanting to secure a tavern licence right next door to their tavern.
“They can go ahead and try,” he said.
Compass has also agreed to buy Mr Buhagiar’s Peel Alehouse as well as the Carine Glades Tavern in Duncraig, the Kalamunda Hotel, the Belmont Hotel, the Herdsman Lake Tavern and Balga’s Princess Road Tavern.
