Development consultants Future Urban, on behalf of Victorian property developers TAL GP Projects, has lodged plans for a 33-storey student accommodation tower at 82-86 Currie Street, near the Sofitel Hotel in the western CBD.

The site is home to the Duke of York Hotel, a local heritage listed structure built in 1857 that is still a working pub.

Under the development plans, the hotel will no longer function as a pub and will be repurposed into a café available to both students and the public.

A render of the proposed international student development. Image: Telha Clarke Architects

The 33-storey tower is slated for construction directly behind the hotel and will hold 450 units with 570 beds for international students.

The pub’s rear additions and beer garden will be demolished to make way for the tower, but the developer told InDaily that a “majority” of the Duke of York’s heritage-listed façade will be retained. This includes the street facing section of the pub, its eastern façade and a “portion” of its western side.

The rear of the Duke of York Hotel. Photo: Thomas Kelsall/InDaily

The new rear of the Duke of York Hotel under the development plans. Image: Telha Clarke Architects

Communal spaces for students, including kitchens, laundry facilities, a gym and “various games and media rooms”, will be spread across the ground level, first floor and rooftop.

The development plans will soon go out to public consultation before being assessed by the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP), expected to be later this year or early next year.

It’s not yet known when the hotel might stop operating.

TAL GP Projects director Hayden Kiss said the project – named The Duke – is “designed to meet all heritage and local requirements, as well as the needs of our project partners”.

“We collaborated closely with the State Government Architect and relevant referral bodies to ensure our proposal aligns with these standards,” Kiss said in a statement.

“The façade has been thoughtfully crafted to complement the existing heritage palette, featuring warm natural tones of sandstone that beautifully contrast with dark, reflective elements.

The new tower is near the Sofitel Hotel on Currie Street. Image: Telha Clarke Architects

“The Duke offers a highly desirable living and studying environment, with close proximity to universities and cultural hubs like Rundle Mall and the Central Markets, along with convenient access to public transport.”

Kiss said the Duke of York’s Currie Street-facing balcony will be reinstated “to its former glory” while the 33-storey tower will feature a rooftop terrace.

He also said the new café – featuring a full kitchen that can accommodate private events – will “honour the current hospitality use” of the Duke of York.

The Duke of York is the latest in a long line of CBD pubs to be targeted for development given their prime location and favourable zoning.

The land on Currie Street has no prescribed height limits, with the zoning intended to encourage high-intensity and large-scale development.

The local heritage listed Duke of York Hotel. Photo: Thomas Kelsall/InDaily

The application also comes just after a months-long saga concluded over the future of the Crown & Anchor Hotel, which was threatened by a similar international student tower plan that would have preserved the building’s façade but ended the venue as a working pub.

The Malinauskas Government last month stepped in to preserve the future of the Crown and Anchor and also passed sweeping legislation to protect live music venues in the CBD.

But the government has also stressed its desire to see more student accommodation in the city amid the merger of the University of Adelaide and UniSA, which is projected to enrol an additional 6000 international students by 2034.

The upper levels of the proposed Duke of York development. Image: Telha Clarke Architects

“We are seeing a significant demand for student accommodation nationally,” Kiss said.

“Particularly in Adelaide, driven by a lack of supply, the merger of Adelaide and UniSA, and the relocation of Flinders University to the city.”

InDaily contacted the current Duke of York Hotel operators for comment.