Solotel has sold the Green Park Hotel to St Vincent’s Hospital, who intend to retain and use the building for a community health centre and drop-in Safe Haven Café similar to one in Melbourne. This will be a therapeutic space to support and refer people looking for help but who don’t need acute care treatment, reducing demands on the emergency department. The local area and vulnerable people will benefit from this sort of facility.

Notwithstanding, I join locals in mourning the loss of what is a great hotel, which has long been a safe and fun space for the LGBTQI+ and friends communities. A development application will be needed to change the use, but I understand the hospital has no plans to change the building, which has state heritage listing: > HERE. See my comments in the Sydney Morning Herald: > HERE.

I will be talking to the City of Sydney about whether additional protections are needed to save remaining neighbourhood pubs which are increasingly at risk from demand for inner city land.