Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with North One hotel and apartments project spokesperson Bruce Cutler

Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with North One hotel and apartments project spokesperson Bruce Cutler · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now, yesterday you may have heard us discussing this proposal
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: for this proposed development, Little Mindel, and some of the
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: concerns well from some around the proposed development. But joining
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: us on the line right now is well the spokesperson
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: for that development Bruce Cutler at Red Splash. Good morning
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: to you, Bruce.
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Good morning COVID Kavian, happy to chat to you about
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: this exciting project for Darwen.
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah, now tell us a little bit more about well,
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: what is being proposed North one Hotel and departments.
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, the site known as Little Mendel has been
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: privately owned land since two thousand and eight. As most
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: people are where, it was sold by the anti government
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: the Sky City Entertainment Group at that time, and the
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: two hundred million dollar luxury five star North One Hotel
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: and apartment will be the single biggest private investment in
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Darwin for the past five years, creating jobs, signifying confidence
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: in our city's economic future. As we rebound from COVID
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: and Bruce.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Are the developers local? Are they from? Interstate? Overseas? Where
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: are they from?
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: So the developers? The project is fully funded by Austrand
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: based Arthur Winston Investment and Vietnamese owned KEDA Group and
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: it already has Foreign Investment review ble and approval to
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: acquire the site. AWA and KEDA Group they already have
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: hotel and resort interests in Sydney and in Vietnam.
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: And has there been consultation with the community. I know
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: that yesterday some concerns were raised. As I understand it,
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: some Larikia members of Larikia have been out this morning
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: sort of raising some of their worries. Has there been
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: that consultation with the community or is it still ongoing.
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: What's the situation right now?
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: So it's been ongoing Larikia, of course with some of
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: the most important stakeholders that we met with to incorporate
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: and acknowledge the local cast adens that's going to be
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: done through naming, design and work opportunities involved up has
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: been the Aboriginal Area of Protection Authority has been contacted
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: in relation to the development and an updated ARPER certificate
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: is being sought. There was an art certificate previously granted
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: for the site in two thousand and nine for the
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: construction of the two hundred and fifty Bay Bitchmand car
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: park that is currently there. And what has actually occurred
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: in the last two months was that the Planning Planning
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: Scheme amendment was approved by the Antique government to place
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: the burial island in the Little Mindell Creek area as
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: public open space, which protects it from development in the future. Okay,
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: so to address such concerns.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: So it does sound as though the developers are prepared
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: to make will make whatever changes I guess might be
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: required so it doesn't cross over or disrupt those sacred sites.
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: Not very much so, and very much looking to how
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: do we acknowledge that? And that's why the actual zone
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: that is tourist commercial doesn't go into those sacred site areas,
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: and it's respectful of them. Bruce.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: The community certainly seems to be quite divided on this one.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: I think whenever you talk about developments, it is the case.
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: There seems to be some that think this is a
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: great idea. It would be wonderful to see Little Mindel
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: developed and see a nice hotel. There others who are
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: saying that these areas should be left as community space.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: I mean, what's the situation right now in terms of
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: people actually being able to sort of, you know, to
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: get out there and have their say. It's still going
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: through the development consent authority right now, isn't it.
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I think you'd be well aware. We are a
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: harvest city and developing tourist attractions in waterfront areas like
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: Columbay Marina, the Dale Waterfront, the Nightcliff Foreshore Cafe. All
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: based critics during the planning phase, but you only have
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: to look at how much they now loved and to
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: see the papronage that there is popular demand for creating
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: visitation opportunities in such locations. So it's not surprising that
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: there are different views about such project. What I would
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: say is that the downstream benefits of North One will
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: see increased visitation for our local restaurants, tourism tractions and
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: airport is going to create three hundred and fifty jobs
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: during construction and one hundred and twenty on going when completed.
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: So there are big benefits for Darwin out of this project,
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: and like I said, it's the biggest private investment anywhere
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: on the horizon for Dale on currently.
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: Bruce, I know that not so long ago we were
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: talking about a development down neither down at the waterfront
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: or not the waterfront, but sort of near the deck
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: chair a little bit further around for the land Bridge development.
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: You know we've heard discussion in the past before about
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: the potential of luxury hotels being constructed, but Lambridge had
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: pulled out through the COVID situation and citing other reasons.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: Is this actually going to go ahead or is it
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: a bit pie in the sky At.
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: The moment, Like I said, the private investment backing for
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: this project was locked and loaded. Much time, effort and
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: cost has already gone into the design and planning of
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: North One to get it to this stage. A number
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: of territory businesses already here have been involved in the design,
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: planning and site investigations, so local business involvement will continue
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: to be a focus on how it can benefit the
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: Northern Territory. You only have to look at only two
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: weeks ago Quantus flag that Darwin Airport could be used
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: as a stop over hug into Australia for passengers returning
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: from London, Paris and Germany. So having a premium leisure
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: and business accommodation like North One will hugely help make
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: us more viable to continue in the long term.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: Will it be open to locals as well or is
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: it going to cost an arm and a leg and
• 6:03
  Speaker 1: most of us mon't be able to afford it.
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: It'll be open to locals. There are a lot of
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: high end corporate travelers that we have come to Darwin
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: as well. Also, our proximity to Asia is also ideal
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: for these high end leatherard travelers seeking an Australian holiday
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: experience within four to five hours of their country. So
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: it'll have a mixed target market that would be attracted
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: to such a facility.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: Well, Bruce, we are going to have to leave it there.
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: Like I said earlier, I know some people are going
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: to be all for this, others are going to be
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: totally opposed to it. But we really appreciate you coming
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: on there this morning and telling us a bit more
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: about the project.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: Just one quick point, Cotie, Yeah, there are no changes
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: to the community pedestrian and bicycle pathway access that's currently
• 6:49
  Speaker 2: in place along the foreshore and along the path jation
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: to Little Mindle Creek or the beach access.
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: Right. All right, Well, thank you very much Bruce for
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: chatting with us this morning. We'll talk thank you again soon.
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: Jeez, thank you you too.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: That is Bruce Cutler there, the spokesperson for North One
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: Hotel and apartment projects.