The iconic Kingswood Hotel could be getting a drastic overhaul under a new proposal worth close to $70 million.
A Development Application (DA) has been lodged with Penrith City Council for work to redevelop and expand the site.
The plans encompass 180 Great Western Highway, Kingswood where the venue currently sits, along with a vacant L-shape block of land at 26 Rodgers Street, Kingswood.
The development will be overseen by Iris Capital, a hospitality group who establishes hotels and development projects around Australia.
If approved, the proposed development would see a separate five-storey building constructed first on Rodgers Street with 52 residential units, a ground floor bottle shop and two basement levels for parking.
The existing Kingswood Hotel will remain operational during the construction of this Southern Site on Rodgers Street.
Once complete, the Statement of Environmental Effect says the Kingswood Hotel will be temporarily moved to the Southern Site to include a smaller sized bistro, sports bar, and VIP lounge.
The Northern site on the Great Western Highway will then be demolished to make way for a seven-storey apartment building with 79 residential units.
The ground floor will be the purpose-built space that will permanently house the new Kingswood Hotel and will also include three basement levels for parking.
“The proposed development is a unique opportunity for the holistic redevelopment of a significant landholding located directly opposite Kingswood Railway Station and positioned at a significant intersection in the locality,” the Statement of Environment Effects states.
The statement also states that on the rooftops of both buildings there will be communal open spaces and gardens. There will also be 51 bicycle and 16 motorcycle spaces across the two buildings.
While the hotel will be temporarily relocated, the proposal does not seek to make any changes to the hours of operation of the pub which are 9am to 3am Monday to Saturday and 10am to 10pm on Sunday.
The bottle shop will trade from 9am to midnight Monday to Saturday and 10am to 10pm on Sunday.
The Kingswood Hotel is an iconic pub in the local area that has stood for more than half a century.
It opened in 1953, and has always sat at its current site on the corner of the Great Western Highway and Bringelly Road.
Emily Feszczuk
A graduate of Western Sydney University, Emily covers Local, State and Federal politics for the Weekender, as well as crime and general news.