Boutique Hotel Plans Filed for Darwin City Centre Site

Joint owner-developers of a central Darwin block are plotting a boutique hotel on the site, as more higher-density buildings rise in the NT capital. 

Ncore and Zikos Properties are the owners of 2 Peary Street, Darwin. In their application, prepared by Atelier Mark Bell, they hasd put forward a 120-key boutique hotel to replace a single-storey house.

The Northern Hotel would rise nine storeys, and include a pool and three levels of basement carparks.

According to planning documents, demand for higher-density buildings is on the rise in the city centre and The Northern Hotel would be “an attractive mixed-use development” to boost tourism in the area. 

“During the past 15 years or so, there has been a replacement of older 1960s and 1970s-era low-rise, single-use buildings with higher-density residential and mixed-use residential towers,” it said.

Darwin conjures up images of crocodiles, and hot, humid weather—the developers had faced challenges to deals with the later, according to documents, with air conditioning, fresh air and natural light factored in to the design.

▲ A render of the entrance to the proposed hotel.

In February, the NT government announced two projects in the city centre when the old Ducks Nuts and BCC Cinemas sites were approved for dining precincts and residential development.

Chief minister Natasha Fyles said the Top End’s construction industry was on the rise catering with an influx of people relocating to Darwin.  

“We are home to some of the most unique opportunities when it comes to work, business and investment, and we are seeing this reflected in our current construction projects,” she said.