The Guildford Redevelopment Group has announced that it has entered into an Agreement to Lease with the nationally reputed The Publican Group Australia to re-establish the Guildford Hotel.

The Guildford Hotel was gutted by fire in 2008 and achieved Development Approval for the development of the entire site in November 2012.

Owner of the Guildford property, Luke Martino, said this is a significant achievement for the team and vindicates the belief in the site and the persistence in the face of all the challenges over the past five years.

“The strategic partnership with The Publican Group will underpin the retail component of the site and provide the necessary anchor for the success of the iconic Guildford Hotel. Although this is a significant milestone, there are further development approval conditions that will require all stakeholder support to ensure the project can proceed,” concluded Mr Martino.

Co-owner of The Publican Group, John Ahern is determined to restore the iconic venue back to its former glory. “We are passionate operators and our ambition is to revive the Guildford Hotel so that it is the heart of Guildford once again. The local community will be involved in the redevelopment process and we will ensure the refurbishments reflect the beautiful architecture of the heritage hotel,” said Mr Ahern.

The agreement is subject to final funding approval. In addition, an agreement with the heritage council is to be finalised, as with other statutory conditions prior to building license and construction commencing.