Zuccoli pubs: David Anthony and Parkside Bistro lose fight against DCL Hospitality’s rival proposal
Rival proponents of two planned watering holes at Palmerston’s fastest growing suburb both say their venues would not be viable without electronic gaming machines, as one of the two feuding companies notches a tribunal win.
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Rival proponents of two planned watering holes at Palmerston’s fastest growing suburb both say their venues would not be viable without electronic gaming machines.
The two warring parties are Queensland-based developer David Anthony and his group of companies which are behind a proposed venue, Parkside Bistro, within the Zuccoli Aspire development, and DCL Hospitality Pty Ltd, owned by local hospitality veterans Guy Dunne, Darren Lynch and Andrew Case, which wants to operate a tavern at Zuccoli Plaza.
The proposed pubs are 1.7km apart.
Mr Anthony’s companies appealed the granting of a liquor licence to DCL by the NT Liquor Commission.
DCL applied to transfer an existing liquor licence from the defunct Heavitree Gap Tavern Bar & Bistro in Alice Springs specifically so it could get its hands on the 10 pokies machines attached to the licence.
The number of machines in the Territory has been capped since 2018.
Mr Anthony has received approval to operate 20 pokies machines at Parkside Bistro, the licences for which he has held for some time and do not exceed the cap.
On October 7, the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal ruled in favour of DCL, holding the NT Liquor Commission made no errors of law in waving through the application.
The tribunal found two future pubs would not saturate Zuccoli, as the population was growing, and DCL’s substitution of premises was properly conducted.
Ostensibly a battle over a liquor licence, the tribunal battle was really a proxy war over lucrative gaming machines, with both parties conceding pokies were essential to the viability of their respective proposals.
Mr Anthony told this masthead his rival’s future possession of electronic gaming machine licences would strike a deep blow to his proposed pub.
“The issue is the viability of Parkside Bistro development should the transfer of gaming licenses from Alice Springs be approved,” he said.
For its part, DCL Hospitality also made clear that it was only with the addition of 10 pokies that its investment became worthwhile.
“But for the gaming machines, the venue would not be financially viable,” acting director of Liquor Licensing, Michelle Ganzer, said in summary of DCLs case.
Relations between Mr Anthony and DCL are febrile, with the latter accusing Mr Anthony of feigning mock concern for the potentially damaging effect the Zuccoli Plaza tavern would have on the nearby 15 Mile Camp and its Aboriginal residents.
“The appearance is that the applicants are not so much concerned with the effect of another tavern on the community but on their own tavern,” DCL submitted.
“The applicants’ main focus … is the potential effect of the tavern on the residents of the 15 Mile Camp, yet [their] proposed bistro is in the same area and would have the same effect.
“The applicants would not have applied for a licence for their bistro if their concerns were genuine.”
DCL will still require approval from the Director of Gaming Machines to operate the 10 machines at its venue and it is also yet to lodge a development application.
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Originally published as Zuccoli pubs: David Anthony and Parkside Bistro lose fight against DCL Hospitality’s rival proposal
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