Artisan Real Estate was given the green light last year to demolish a vacant office block on St Vincent Street at Pitt Street and replace it with a 16-storey hotel.

Artisan acquired the office buildings in the summer of 2019 and worked with Porter Planning and a design team led by Hawkins\Brown, Atelier 10 and Quattro engineers, to deliver the four-star hotel designed for the Vienna House brand.

However, a new planning application stated that the hotel idea has “stalled” because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the hospitality/funding sectors.

Now Crosslane Developments has been brought on board to partner with the residential serviced living development plan.

The statement added: “Artisan wants to deliver development on this key city centre site in 2021, as the building is now empty, and see residential serviced living as a deliverable response.

“Crosslane has been secured as an operator partner by Artisan to deliver this.”

If approved, the building would have 248 studio apartments. The exterior would be unchanged with only the internal layouts altered.

There will be a publicly accessible cafe/bar, reception area, co-work space, a cinema/multi-function room and a gym and wellness studio.

The eleventh floor will be entirely given over to amenity space with access to the roof area also.

Documents submitted to city planners explain: “Residential serviced living is a new type of fully furnished residential accommodation.

“For the residents it provides a hassle-free format with all-inclusive rents, a focus on creating a vibrant work/life hub and a sense of community within a well-designed building.

“It also offers a wealth of shared facilities, amenities, activities and services to create a more fulfilling, connected and affordable lifestyle for young professionals.”