A heritage-listed hotel in Wollongong is at the center of a unique protest involving five small potted palm trees. These trees have been attached to street poles outside The Illawarra Hotel, located near a controversial art installation featuring a palm tree up a pole. This installation was created to satirize a permanent display of three cabbage tree palms purchased by the Wollongong City Council in 2017 for $620,000. The permanent exhibit, situated in Crown Street, includes a rock playground with a swing, two palms on the ground, and one palm elevated on a pole.

The protest was initiated by hotel owners Ryan and Nikki Aitchison after their development application to repurpose parts of the three-story building was denied by the council. "Back when we were friends with council, we liked the palm trees up-the-pole," Mr. Aitchison stated. "But after how we've been treated … all I can do now is make as much noise as possible."

In May 2024, The Illawarra Hotel submitted a development application to transform the ground floor into a TAB area and to renovate the first and second floors, replacing outdated accommodations with a kitchen, bar, and bistro. Mr. Aitchison explained, "In the center of the hotel, we would have fully restored the original staircase … and then on the western side we'd have a ballroom with fixtures that were period specific." The couple, who purchased the nearly 100-year-old hotel in 2019, also proposed a rooftop bar above the ballroom, creating an open-air space between the second and third floors.

The renovations were estimated to cost around $6 million and were intended to address a community need for accommodations that could host 100 to 400 guests. "We felt we have more than proven to Wollongong that our heart was in the right place and we had chosen to be custodians of this building," Mr. Aitchison added.

However, the Wollongong City Council rejected the development application last month, citing concerns about the structural engineering solutions and their potential impact on the heritage-listed building. The council emphasized the need for any renovations to allow for the original layout to be interpreted and to preserve the building's heritage details. They stated that the primary concern was maintaining the structural integrity of the building, particularly regarding the proposed void between the second and third floors.

The council expressed willingness to consider alternative design approaches that could mitigate potential heritage impacts. Following the rejection, Mr. Aitchison initiated legal action against the council in the NSW Land and Environment Court, arguing that the council had not engaged a structural engineer nor requested that he do so.

In response, the Wollongong City Council reiterated that it is the proponent's responsibility to demonstrate that any issues can be resolved. Heritage consultant Andrew Conacher noted that heritage decisions can be complex and suggested that the council aimed to preserve more of the building's original character. He remarked, "The DA has been with council for 18 months, and sooner or later they have to make a decision and put in as many reasons as possible." Conacher also pointed out that the development application respected the building's intended use, stating, "It's not as if you are putting something completely different into the building; you're putting something similar to its current use."