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Redevelopment works have begun at the Guildford Hotel, with the historic landmark expected to reopen by the end of this year, nearly eight years after it was gutted by fire.
The hotel will be operated by The Publican Group, which owns five other venues in Perth – The Aviary, Wolf Lane, The Byrneleigh, The George and Public House.
The Publican Group director Steve Garcia said the redevelopment process had enabled the start of roof restoration works.
Works under way at the hotel, which has been in a dilapidated state since 2008, include brickwork restoration, skirting boards, architraves, renders and beams.
“The site clean-up has been a really interesting process, we have discovered many amazing features along the way,” Mr Garcia said.
“For example, we peeled back a few layers on the ground level and found a secret Tarazzo floor.
“We also found an old cellar which we are going to cover with glass and highlight it as a feature in the bar.”
He said the plan was to maintain the history of the hotel, but also modernise the space to attract new markets to the area.
“We are still working through conceptual plans at this stage, as we are hoping to take feedback from the community as to what they want to see in the space,” Mr Garcia said.
Key aspects of the plan including restoration of the bell tower, a beer garden and outdoor grill area and a private dining room for events.
The works at the Guildford Hotel do not include a proposed apartment building to be built on the rear portion of the site, considered by the owners of the property, the Martino family, to be key to funding the restoration works.
The City of Swan launched a public consultation process earlier this year to seek comment from locals on proposed changes to its planning scheme to allow for the building, which would be limited to around seven storeys.
The closing date for submissions on the proposal is today.