Carrington Hotel for sale, but what will the reinvention of the Surry Hills icon look like?

Surry Hills’ Carrington Hotel premises at 563-565 Bourke Street is up for sale as a freehold purchase with vacant possession. Listed earlier this month, it's set for auction on 18 October through LJ Hooker Commercial.

The hotel, circa 1877, has 2B residential zoning with existing use rights for a pub, and the listing suggests that there are many options for a site redevelopment and a chance to “reinvent a Surry Hills icon”. It was previously listed in February through a for sale by expressions of interest campaign through CBRE.

The hotel's listing suggests it could continue functioning as a pub/restaurant or be redeveloped into:

• A combined retail/residential space
  
  
• Corporate headquarters
  
  
• A residential home of four or five bedrooms and three bathrooms, potentially creating “what would be one of Surry Hills' grandest residential properties”

There are concept drawings available for some of these configurations.

LJ Hooker Inner City provide concept images, and a number of potential floorplans, including one with a pool, with their listing of the property (pictured below). It notes that these are not DA approved.

“The Carro” as it was more informally known, and restaurant Chica Linda, ceased trading on 31 August after three years of operation. It was a Spanish-themed restaurant, with a tapas menu later refurbished to include Central and South American dishes.

Chica Linda only opened in May this year and at the 2014 Australian Bar Awards they were awarded Pub of the Year at the State Awards and a finalist for Pub of the Year National.

Sydney’s Broadsheet quoted head of the Drink’n’Dine group Jaime Wirth as saying that the landlord had been wanting to redevelop the site for some time, although now it appears owner Greg Magree's Magree Corp are passing the opportunity along. Porteno, The Norfolk and The Forresters, all of which are in Surry Hills, remain in their portfolio along with their two Fratelli Fresh outlets. They purchased The Carrington in April 2011 under company name Carrington Property Holdings Pty Ltd.

Wirth also pointed to a downturn in trade over the past six months and a restriction of the licence to use the upstairs levels as other reasons they’ve determined to focus on their other venues.

The 273 square metre land parcel, with 708 square metres internally over two levels, has three street frontages, a basement/cellar and parking potential. It has period details throughout.

The redevelopment potential is a source of fascination for many past patrons and, potentially, for investors. One asked on Facebook: “Why the close [sic] will it be units or another boozer?” 

Seems we'll have to wait and see.