This Sydney club wants 3am trading. Neighbours just want sleep

A plan by an inner west club to keep its doors open into the early hours is putting the NSW government’s vibrancy reforms to the test as more suburban pubs and clubs turn their sights on late-night trading in a bid to revive the city’s ailing hospitality sector.

Concerns over noise, antisocial behaviour, traffic congestion and crime are among grievances raised by residents in Concord after the Croatian Club lodged plans to Canada Bay Council to extend its current 10pm and midnight trading limits to 3am.

The 1400-member club, located within Majors Bay Reserve about 50 metres from the nearest home, also wants approval for overnight trading during up to 10 “special events” a year, such as World Cup matches and concerts.

Club president Zvonimir Kurtovic said the extended trading hours application was driven by community demand and would enable residents to socialise at night closer to their homes.

The proposal has triggered a swift and mixed reaction, with the council receiving a petition, photos and more than 200 submissions from residents raising concerns over the proposal.

Home owner Janet Harrison, who was among residents who attended a council meeting to voice objections to the proposal, said the 3am trading limits could lead to noise disturbances in the largely residential area.

“We’re just normal people wanting to live a normal life and [who] don’t want to have to listen to loud music or live in fear of not being able to invite people around to our homes,” she said.

The venue’s application stated the late-night trading offering would be in line with the NSW government’s recently enacted vibrancy reforms, aimed at boosting the state’s night-time economy.

The reforms, which include easing restrictions and regulation and giving venues more protection from noise complaints, have also triggered a spike in new late-night trading-hour applications in other suburban parts of Sydney.

This includes a plan by Marrickville’s Greek Macedonian Club to trade until 2am, while QT Parramatta wants to open as late as 3am and the Great Northern Hotel in Chatswood has applied to keep its doors open until 2am.

Several Sydney councils are also planning late-night “special entertainment precincts” in suburban areas such as including Campsie, Fairfield and Hornsby.

Kurtovic believes the city’s late-night trading offerings should not just be confined to inner-city town centres.

“People want venues they can go out [to] at night and have a drink or watch a sports game and socialise without having to travel to the CBD or worry about how they’ll get home at the end of the night,” he said.

“Our [current trading] restrictions are overly onerous – we can’t play music after 10pm and have to shut the doors. It’s a buzzkill,” he said.

“We’re not looking to become a nightclub or have DJs playing music at all hours – we’re a community venue.”

Canada Bay Council’s planning register shows the venue’s application has triggered 233 submissions from residents, with a majority opposed due to concerns including noise, antisocial behaviour and traffic impacts.

Alex Brattoni, who lives 400 metres from the club, described the late-night trade application as an “overly zealous proposal” that could lead to “outdoor-concert-level noise channelled directly towards homes”.

Trish Cabo claimed the community is already experiencing disturbances from large crowd numbers at the venue, along with club patrons “urinating on fences”, “shouting late into the night” and leaving the venue in a “visibly intoxicated and disorderly state”.

“Extending the club’s operating hours would only intensify these issues,” she wrote.

A smaller percentage of residents have backed the venue’s application, including Kris Markotic, who said late-night trading could bring a slice of Europe to the inner west.

“In Croatian culture, we eat late, we drink late and somehow still find room for coffee and cake at around 10pm. Our spirit isn’t loud – it’s social and warm,” he said.

The furore follows a report by the Night Time Industries Association that found hospitality venues in Sydney’s established late-night precincts are struggling to rebound in tough economic conditions, with foot traffic declining to 22 per cent in late-night precincts such as Oxford Street and Chippendale over the past year.

Night-time Economy Minister John Graham said while the sector was still facing many challenges, venues were “responding well” to the reforms.

“One of the bright spots in the nightlife revival is the rise of areas like Burwood and Canley Vale, where food is just as much as a drawcard as traditional hotspots built on live music or nightclubbing,” he said.

Canada Bay Council Mayor Michael Megna said the Croatian Club’s late-night trading application would be determined by the council’s independent planning panel, due to the number of submissions.

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