On Wednesday night, Orange City Council will consider plans to demolish the current motel at 245 Lords Place, first built in 1957, in favour of a 105-room, four-storey building.

It would also feature a 44-seat restaurant, bar and conference room. 

It is the third draft of the plans to be considered to limit the bulk of the building, but it will exceed the 12-metre maximum height allowed in the area by 4.5 metres.

However, the applicant argued lowering the building would mean it would need to be built closer to the state heritage-listed Orange Courthouse and it would no longer hide the “relatively uninspiring backdrop” of the Orange Central Square building from Lords Place. 

“The proposed new building will complete the streetscape and provide a more cohesive urban environment,” the report to councillors said.

The project will cost $13 million to build. 

Parking also presented a challenge – the development will provide 97 spaces, or 112 under a valet arrangement.

The arrangement would come into force once the motel reaches 75 per cent full, but would still leave the development 16 spaces short due to the council’s requirements for the motel’s accommodation, conference and restaurant uses.

MAP: Where is the proposed hotel …

The developer will have to pay $231,172.80 in parking contributions to cover the shortfall, with the staff report recommending flexibility.

“The allowance of flexibility within the car parking requirements reflects the acknowledgement that the development is unlikely to experience 100 per cent occupancy 100 per cent of the time,” the report said.

“Additionally, there is an acknowledgement that there is shared distribution of uses – that is, that some people staying at the motel would also be guests at a function or diners in the restaurant. 

“Finally, there is an acknowledgement that the majority of the motel’s demand for parking would be generated outside of main business hours, meaning that the competition for parking spaces within the surrounding streets would be lower than compared to core business hours.”

With the Mid City Motor Lodge, formerly the Bellair Motel, the first motel built in Orange but ineligible for heritage listing, the council will require the building to be documented prior to demolition. 

Mid City Motor Lodge owner Vijay Bohra and Smith Property Group’s Craig Smith declined to comment.