Shoal Bay Country Club hotel: Liquor watchdog determines three-year noise complaints row with local residents
The state’s liquor watchdog has been called in to investigate alleged disturbances from a popular country club hotel in response to resident complaints over ‘extremely loud live music’.
Newcastle
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A country club hotel in a popular NSW tourist town has been cleared of creating excessive disturbances in the community after a three-year noise complaint dispute with local residents.
Liquor and Gaming NSW was called in to investigate alleged disturbances emanating from the Shoal Bay Country Club Hotel in response to resident complaints over “extremely loud live music” and the sound of patrons “singing” at the venue.
Residents took their complaints to Liquor & Gaming NSW claiming “ridiculously” high levels of noise can regularly be heard from the venue as late as 2am.
The hotel - however - has strongly rejected the claims and instead blamed noise levels in the area on “house parties” staged within the rising number of short term rental accommodation properties in the seaside town.
One resident - in a submission to Liquor and Gaming - stated it was “impossible” to sit on their balcony and have a conversation or watch television in their lounge due to excessive noise emanating from the venue.
Complaints also centred on alleged instances of “loud yelling and singing” from intoxicated patrons as they leave the hotel, as well as patrons allegedly “littering the streets with bottles, glasses and broken glass”.
The homeowners called for the venue to have additional conditions placed on its licence including sound insulation and extra security guards “to control the behaviour and noise of patrons.”
A submission to Liquor and Gaming from NSW Police meanwhile stated police have been called to the hotel on 54 occasions since 2020 relating to alleged incidents including the sale of liquor to minors, public urination, malicious damage, assault, intoxication, affray and drug possession.
NSW Police told Liquor and Gaming the frequency of their attendance at the hotel over the years “was very disturbing.”
In response to the complaint, lawyers for the country club stated the venue “invites co-operation with its neighbours” and has measures to address noise including providing a courtesy bus service to transport patrons home on busier nights.
The submission from the hotel also argued the venue is located in a tourist area with many short-term rentals that attract house parties and that these parties are “unregulated and may be mistaken for noise emanating from the hotel”.
In response to the complaints, the venue has pledged to implement further measures to address disturbances including positioning a security guard at the entrance to a rear carpark and limiting glassware to daylight hours.
Liquor and Gaming executive director of regulatory operations and enforcement Jane Lin, who investigated the complaints, said a level of noise was to be expected from the venue and has determined not to place any additional conditions on its licence.”
A level of disturbance from the normal operation of the hotel is to be expected, including noise from music entertainment, patrons, and pedestrian traffic,” she said.
“It is also notable that the hotel is situated on a commercial strip in Shoal Bay, a popular tourist destination.
“It is reasonable to conclude that a level of noise from people and entertainment, during reasonable hours, will be audible in this area”.
The venue, which has operated since 1954, is one of the most popular hotels in the region and attracts large crowds for live music with bands, DJs and solstice performing in courtyards.
The venue stated the current owners have spent around $17 million on recent renovations and upgrades to the venue which now attracts about 6000 patrons a week.
The Liquor and Gaming decision comes after the state government announced plans to introduce new laws protecting entertainment venues from the threat of noise complaints.
Planning Minister John Graham said the changes would end the “NSW sport of a single neighbour (with) serial complaints” shutting down venues.
The Shoal Bay Country Club Hotel was contacted for additional comment about the decision but did not respond at the time of publication.
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