Singapore-based firm scraps Darwin hotel project after sacred site fight
An artist's impression of the planned hotel on the Darwin Waterfront. (Supplied: PACT Architects)
In short:
A high-rise hotel planned for the Darwin Waterfront has been scrapped, following outcry from Larrakia traditional owners over the site's proximity to a sacred site.
Earlier this week, two traditional owners filed an application to the federal government seeking for the hotel plans to be overturned.
What's next?
The company behind the bid, SingHaiyi Group, has confirmed it will no longer be progressing.
An 11-storey, $100 million luxury hotel proposed for the Darwin Waterfront has fallen through, following concerns the project would impact a traditional Aboriginal sacred site.
The development of the high-rise hotel was announced in 2024, with the NT government touting it as a major boost for Darwin that would offer jobs, tourism and upscale accommodation.
However, in recent months the project had stalled, after concerns were raised by Larrakia traditional owners that the new hotel would interfere with a Dreamtime story of a nearby sacred site.
Larrakia elders Bill Risk and Helen Secretary were leading the fight against the proposed development, which they said would have blocked the line-of-sight from the Stokes Hill site out to the harbour.
They said it would obscure the Dreaming of the tawny frogmouth — "a sentinel that guards the entrance to Stokes Hill Wharf, surveying the land and sea, keeping country and people safe".
The lagoon at the Darwin Waterfront Precinct. (ABC News: Michael Franchi)
Earlier this week, the two Larrakia traditional owners applied to the federal government under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act for the site to be safeguarded.
In a statement released by Northern Land Council chairman Matt Ryan about the bid, he said the hotel plans "set a dangerous precedent that puts all sacred sites in the NT at risk".
The company pursuing the project, Singapore-based SH Hotels, and its parent company, SingHaiyi Group, confirmed on Tuesday afternoon the project would not be going ahead.
Larrakia traditional owners raised concerns about the hotel project in the months before it was scrapped. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)
Executive director Robert Lee said in a statement that "after receiving the development approval in July 2024, we were advised of a concern relating to the development".
"To address the concern, we explored various changes to the development but [were] unable to come to a result that would make the development feasible," he said.
"We extend our sincere appreciation to the Northern Territory Government for their support, collaboration, and guidance throughout the process."
Bill Yan says the government respects the company's decision not to proceed. (ABC News: Peter Garnish)
NT Treasurer Bill Yan said that while the government was disappointed the hotel would not eventuate, it respected the group's decision.
He said he had been informed by the group that it would not proceed because the "concerns which meant it is not feasible to deliver a development aligned with their high brand standards".
"As a community, we need a balanced outcome that is sensitive to cultural concerns but also does not halt economic development and prosperity that would benefit all Territorians," he said.
Sacred sites law changed ahead of project
The hotel project also saw the NT's Country Liberal Party (CLP) government accused of changing sacred sites legislation to allow the project to proceed.
Labor MLA Chansey Paech claimed in parliament the law changes were made "solely to clear the pathway" for the hotel development.
At the time, the chair and board members of the NT's sacred sites watchdog, the Aboriginal Area Protection Authority (AAPA), spoke out about the changes, and AAPA board member Rachel Perkins resigned over the issue.
In response to news the hotel would not be going ahead, the NLC's Mr Ryan said it was "very good news for the Larrakia people".
Matt Ryan has welcomed the news the hotel will not be going ahead. (ABC News: Hamish Harty)
"This shows that you cannot ignore the importance of sacred sites and meaningful engagement with traditional owners,"he said.
"The decision does not change the fact that the NT government can still make changes to sacred site certificates without consultation.
"Sacred sites and Aboriginal heritage must be properly protected by the laws of the Northern Territory."
Larrakia elder Bill Risk, one of the applicants of the Commonwealth bid, said he would "continue to stand against any development that desecrates and damages our sacred sites into the future".
An AAPA spokesperson said: "The authority expects the decision by SH Darwin will come as a significant relief to Larrakia custodians who have been very clear about their concerns regarding the proposed 11-storey hotel and the use of a decades-old authority certificate to progress the development."
The Darwin Waterfront Corporation has been contacted for comment.