While venues across the country languish under the weight of a pandemic, Arthur Laundy is busy building for a new era, announcing major plans for the reinvented former Log Cabin Hotel in Penrith.
The revival of one of Penrith’s best-loved landmarks, which was destroyed in a fire in 2012, is a collaborative project between Laundy Hotels, the Cottle Family, and local businessman Rob Wearn.
FDC Construction, which counts the Cottles amongst its principals, has submitted a development application to Council for the new Penrith Log Cabin Hotel, adjacent to Penrith City Council’s riverside precinct.
The two-storey hotel will feature indoor and outdoor bars, with dining areas overlooking the Nepean River, an expansive beer garden and children’s playground, and fine-dining and function areas upstairs. Design for the new structure comes through Team2 Architecture.
Located beside the Victoria Bridge over the Nepean, the Log Cabin has stood as a welcoming rest stop at the base of the mountains since 1827. The buildings destroyed in 2012 were mostly built in 1939.
Contracts were exchanged to purchase the dormant Hotel late 2019, marking the end of an era for the previous owner and long-time publican, Ross Sinclair, who welcomes the continuation of the pub’s proud history.
“Many people in Penrith had their first beer, first dates, celebrated sporting championships and community events here over the years,” he says.
“To have that legacy continue into a third century is extremely important to me, and not to mention very rare from an Australian heritage perspective.”
Pub patriarch Arthur Laundy echoes the sentiment, welcoming another institution to the family’s portfolio, which has based itself in western Sydney pubs for more than 70 years.
“The Log Cabin has always been the jewel of the Western Sydney pub scene, so it is an absolute thrill to be involved with good friends and partners in restoring the Log Cabin Hotel to its former glory,” proffers Laundy.
Penrith’s project follows Laundy’s revelation late March of no less than two brand new greenfield sites in the works, at Jordan Springs, also in Penrith LGA, and at Calderwood, near Albion Park.
The Log Cabin application will be in review with Penrith City Council for the coming months, with construction aiming to commence late 2020. The proposed Hotel is positioned become a key component in Council’s Masterplan for The Great River Walk.
FDC is a highly awarded building company that employs over 550 people and has completed circa $8bn worth of projects nationally, recently including Laundy’s expansive Marsden Brewhouse in Marsden Park, and The Locker Room Hotel in Sydney Olympic Park.
Project Manager Peter Stait says the owners and design team have worked collaboratively with Council on the submission, with high hopes of a significant community landmark.
“FDC is committed to delivering a high-quality design that recreates a meeting place integral to the social fabric of Penrith, and complementary to the work Council has done on the Riverside precinct.
“This venue looms large in the community’s memory, so it is great to have the opportunity to raise the bar again.”
