Alexandra’s new multi-functional entertainment centre is progressing well, and a luxurious lounge bar is back on the cards for the new downtown development.

Developer Rory McLellan told the Central App people are going to see quite a difference when the project is completed next year, as the builders undergo a complete renovation of the old Hotel Alexandra.

“A lot has been done within the old building, but there is no definite end date. It will open when it's open,” he said.

Further changes have been made to the original design “for the better,” and now include an upmarket lounge bar on the Tarbert St entrance, rather than a takeaway food area. 

Rory said when builders started working on the old kitchen areas, they realised that it was better to start again and create some new spaces.

So the original plan to include three bars is back on the cards, and the street-facing lounge bar is going to be “quite luxurious,” he said.

“We’ve played around with it and brought in some experts. We’ve had to remove more of the old building, and then once we did that we had a blank canvas to work with. It's going to be next level,” he said.

Gary Todd Architecture is the project designer and the development is being built by Dave Cockburn Construction.

The site for the proposed Riverside Park and Alexandra Miners Village. 

The site has been completely blocked off to the public, deliberately, Rory said, while so much of the demolition work has taken place.

After months of behind the scenes work, the steel work structure is now clearly visible and new windows have also been installed in the old building.

Meanwhile, the proposed Riverside Park and Alexandra Miners Village development further south of the development, which Rory is also involved with, is still progressing through both the Central Otago and Otago Regional councils for resource consent. 

The CODC has allocated $650,000 to be raised through a loan toward planning and construction work for the project. 

It was also likely a Tourism Infrastructure Fund grant of $325,000 would be able to be used on the project to offset a chunk of the loan amount.

PHOTOS: The Central App