If you go along Church St North Parramatta (or take a cruise through Google
maps/streetview) you'll notice many properties along the road set back more
than others, with the setback ones being younger buildings. The fact is
that Church St was planned for widening a long time back (in the 1950s I
think) and new buildings have had to be set back on the new alignment, with
old buildings gradually being demolished as the opportunity arises and some
sections of the road already progressively widened. The fact is that the
poor old Royal Oak has been marked for demolition for many years anyway.
The light rail project has simply precipitated that. No conspiracy agendas
here. Mind you, I have such a dim view of the outcome of light rail
projects in Sydney now that I think I'd rather the hotel remain and the
tram scrapped. I suspect buses would be able to do its job quite adequately.

Tony P