Town Hall Hotel 366 Darling Street Balmain NSW 2041

I’m opposed to allowong such an iconic public building - built in its time to serve the whole community - into a venue that serves an elite few (in this case people who go to the gym). We need to do more to promote live music and the arts, and this very civic venue is in the ideal location for this, with many appealing business opportunities. Meanwhile there are many gyms in Balmain, including near the Town Hall Hotel. We need to prevent whet happened (under our rate paying noses) to the Exchange Hotel - another beautiful historic building lost to Balmain’s general public.

I oppose this Class 6 Retail building being turned into a class 5 Office building... This building is in the prominent and important location for the Balmain community, of Darling Street and Montague St. This location is one that definitely requires a Class 6 Hotel or food and drink serving business over and above an office building, as such businesses create vibrancy of public use to the streetscape at that end of Darling Street. When the Town Hall Hotel was operational, there was life and night time atmosphere on that corner of Balmain, now it is all but deserted during the evening hours. The Town Hall Hotel building being opposite the Balmain Post Office and being in the vicinity of the Balmain Court House, Library and Town Hall is part of the town planning of the central precinct of the Sydney 19th Century suburb of Balmain. The loss of this building as a "Class 6: shop or other building for the sale of goods by retail or the supply of services direct to the public" (such as a hotel) will have a detrimental effect on the vibrancy and amenity of this end of Darling Street, Balmain... of which I am strongly opposed

The Town Hall Hotel has always been an iconic pub in Balmain. It is located in a prime retail location surrounded by shops. I think the change would have a huge impact on the character of the area. Balmain is known for its pubs, the food, the gathering of local people .
Darling Street and it’s retail businesses need to be revitalised. More office space is not going to help the situation.