Publisher and developer Morry Schwartz is reported to have reopened the former British Crown Hotel on Smith Street, Collingwood, as Bar Nero after plans for a 10-storey office building were rejected. The pub operation is described in secondary reporting as temporary, with the property reportedly offered for sale; its current listing and operating status are not independently confirmed.
What happened to the British Crown Hotel?
The former British Crown Hotel site on Smith Street is now associated with Bar Nero, a pub that Schwartz reportedly reopened after his proposed office redevelopment did not proceed. Ground News’s October 1, 2026 summary of a Sydney Morning Herald article says Schwartz bought the pub in 2019 for $5.65 million and planned a 10-storey office building. Ground News
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The available account does not establish the exact reopening date, the scope of renovation work, or the details of Bar Nero’s day-to-day operation. The original Sydney Morning Herald article was not accessible through the linked summary, so those specifics should not be inferred.
Why did the office redevelopment not go ahead?
The reported sequence is that the office proposal was rejected and the site returned to use as a pub. Zotpaper’s October 2, 2026 secondary account says the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) rejected the proposal twice. The primary tribunal decisions, dates and stated reasons were not available in the sources reviewed, so the rejection count and planning history remain attributable to that secondary account. Zotpaper
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That means the supported explanation is limited: the proposed redevelopment did not receive approval, while the pub use resumed. The available reporting does not establish which planning grounds drove the outcome.
Is Bar Nero for sale?
Zotpaper reported on October 2, 2026, that Schwartz’s publican role was temporary and that the venue or property was being offered for sale. That report does not confirm whether a listing remains active, whether the property has since sold, or who would operate the venue after any transaction. No current listing or sale record is established by the available accounts.
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