Work at Paddington pub The Unicorn has been ordered to stop after alleged unapproved demolition, with Woollahra Council citing heritage concerns while JDA says it acted in consultation.
A beloved Paddington pub, The Unicorn, has become the centre of a fresh heritage and planning dispute after Woollahra Council ordered builders to stop work.
The situation will feel particularly jarring for Sydneysiders who were told the pub would reopen after a planned renovation.. More than a year on from the purchase announcement, the building site is now in “tools down” mode, following reports that demolition may have been carried out without the proper heritage approvals.
According to reports carried this week, Woollahra Council issued the stop-work orders to contractors after it emerged that demolition had progressed beyond what was covered by approvals.. When workers covered the Oxford Street doorway with plywood, there was also a stark visual change inside: the interior has been gutted, with major features removed including the open stairway, floors, interior walls and the roof.
Council’s concern, as described in the reporting, centres on the scale of demolition compared with what was presented through the project’s original approvals.. The development application that received approval in December 2024 did not, it is understood, include the same level of internal demolition that has since taken place.. The council reportedly first grasped the extent of the works in February, while the operator behind the project, JDA Hotels, had not included such extensive demolition in its earlier submission.. JDA later lodged an updated development application in March 2026.
Why this matters goes beyond one pub’s delayed reopening.. Woollahra has long treated heritage buildings as places that carry history in their fabric, not just in their facade.. When internal elements are removed early, it can be harder to document what was there, harder to salvage materials, and harder to justify alternatives under heritage frameworks.. For local residents, that translates into uncertainty: the longer a project stalls, the harder it can be to keep community momentum around a long-standing venue.
Councillor Harriet Price, as quoted in the reporting, said her concern was that any works should be “firmly grounded” in proper heritage practice and planning compliance.. She argued that demolition had been undertaken before proper assessment, and that opportunities to salvage or reuse internal heritage fabric—and to create a thorough archival record—may have been lost.
JDA Hotels has defended the project, framing the demolition as part of a renovation process undertaken with consultation.. A spokesperson said demolitions were carried out “in consultation” with council, adding that engineering analysis during the renovation process revealed the building’s internal structure had been significantly compromised by “concrete cancer.” The company said it had raised concerns about long-term sustainability for the heritage building and its facade.
That explanation points to a common tension in heritage upgrades: sometimes the full condition of a building only becomes clear after demolition begins, and owners argue that immediate intervention is necessary to prevent further deterioration.. Councils, meanwhile, are often wary when the scale of works changes from the plan submitted for approval—especially in buildings where heritage value can extend well past what the facade presents at street level.
The pub’s refurbishment plan was never a secret.. When JDA took over the property, the broader goal was a “major” refurbishment designed to maintain the venue’s character while updating its layout.. JDA director John Feros previously described a brief that focused on keeping the pub’s charm, with changes aimed at improving how many patrons could be accommodated at any one time.
Right now, though, those design intentions have collided with compliance questions.. Neither Woollahra Council nor JDA has provided an expected timeline for when work will resume, or for when The Unicorn could reopen.. For the operators, the risk is not only delays and additional cost, but also the possibility that future approvals may require a different approach—one that may constrain how much can be altered, rebuilt, or documented.
For the wider community, the practical impact is simple: the pub remains closed while the approval pathway is clarified.. If the project moves forward, the next chapter for The Unicorn will likely be shaped as much by paperwork and heritage assessments as by construction decisions—turning a renovation story into a lesson in how quickly heritage projects can change course once stop-work orders arrive.