Balmain pub Welcome Hotel told to shut down courtyard barbecue

One of Sydney’s oldest heritage pubs has been told to shut down its courtyard BBQs after a “smoke complaint” by an irate resident who didn’t like the wafting smoke.

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One of Sydney’s oldest heritage pubs has been told to shut down its courtyard BBQs after a “smoke complaint” by an irate inner-city Balmain resident who didn’t like the wafting smoke.

Balmain’s Welcome Hotel was warned by local council inspectors it would be whacked with an $8000 fine if it fired up the barbie because the smoke “had the potential to negatively impact the amenity of neighbouring premises and the environment”.

“Blue smoke, fumes and cooking smells were observed when the barbecue was located in the open shed,” the ban orders from the Inner West Council state, estimated the smoke was visible 50m away.

Pub owner Liam O’Keefe says the situation is farcical, his pub has been there since 1877 and the barbie ban was symptomatic of a “complaint culture” in Sydney.

“I am fed up, the hospitality industry is on its knees, we have this over the top red tape and regulations and we can’t use the barbecue,” he said.

Balmain’s Welcome Hotel has been told to shut down its courtyard barbecue.

“It’s not like I’m burning rubber tyres.

“Who doesn’t love a barbecue? When you’re born in this country you’ve got to love a BBQ, don’t you?”

No longer the traditional working class neighbourhood famous for its “Balmain boys don’t cry” ethos, the suburb is now home to some of the highest income earners in the country, along with rising neighbourhood stoushes and NIMBY complaints.

The council rangers first warned the pub about the barbie “creating air pollution” in January so Mr O’Keefe stopped cooking fish, fish marinades and cut the hours of his South American-style Santa Maria “Ill Carbone” charcoal grill.

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But he was then served a “Prevention Notice” — which included a $550 fine and threats of $8000 fines for each day the offence continues. The name of the complainer was kept secret, but Mr O’Keefe was told the popular charcoal barbecue “causes objectionable odour, smoke plumes and possible health implications for adjacent neighbours”.

“We had operated from May last year till January at full tilt, with not a single complaint,” Mr O’Keefe said. “I am so frustrated over this, pubs are part of the heritage of Balmain but three pubs have closed and two more are due to shut close in the next month.

Out of commission: The Balmain pub can no longer fire up their barbecue.

Inner West Council mayor Darcy Byrne said the situation was “nonsensical” and promises to meet the pub owner for a “beer on the weekend” to sort it out.

“It seems pretty nonsensical for a pub that has existed since more than a century ago to be threatened with fines over cooking food on the weekend,” he said.

“The culture of complaint that has developed in governments in Sydney is completely out of keeping with what the general population wants.”

Mr Byrne said noise complaints helped kill the old Annandale Hotel and when he became mayor of that council he introduced a “Good Neighbour policy” which required noise complaints about long standing live music venues be dealt with by “mitigating, not litigating”.

“I want this to now expand to the whole of the Inner West,” Mr Byrne said.

“I never envisaged the problem would be extended to ‘the smell of barbecues”.

“I’ve found very few issues that get people more agitated than when their local pub is hit with compliance action when it’s been in the same location for more than a century.”