‘Petty’ reason locals rejected pub’s proposed 2am opening hours

A Sydney pub’s bid to trade until 2am has been rejected by residents who complained the “opening and closing” of car doors would disturb their sleep.

Sydney’s push to revive night-life has hit a wall in the upscale suburb of Hunters Hill, where the local pub’s bid to extend its trading hours from midnight to 2am was recently rejected.

Locals voiced fears that the “opening and closing” of car doors would affect their sleep, as would increased noise from the venue.

Patrick Gallagher, chief executive of Gallagher Hotels, which runs the Hunters Hill Hotel – the suburb’s only pub – says customers are in favour of the extension to 2am, especially for functions like birthdays and friend catch ups.

“When you close at midnight, people tend to want to kick on a little bit, so they just go to another pub in the area that has a 3am license,” Mr Gallagher tells news.com.au, pointing to nearby spots in Gladesville, Drummoyne and Lane Cove.

Hunters Hill Hotel have had its 2am closing time proposal rejected. Picture: Google

Hunters Hill Council rejected the proposal after NSW Police cited over 100 incidents “linked” to the pub since Gallagher took over in 2017, including assaults.

Mr Gallagher calls the data “rubbish,” insisting police are rarely called for trouble – maybe once in a decade – and that their system automatically attributes any nearby alcohol-related event, like car crashes and domestic violence, to the closest venue.

“They use that data to fight liquor license applications … it’s almost an automatic thing for the police to not support anyone who wants to vary their trading hours,” he said, claiming that the pub gets frequent business inspections, but there’s no real issues at the venue.

News.com.au has reached out to NSW Police and Hunters Hill Council for comment.

Patrick Gallagher, chief executive of Gallagher Hotels, which runs the Hunters Hill Hotel, is disappointed by the decision. Picture: Melvyn Knipe/The Daily Telegraph

Dozens of residents packed the council meeting to object to the plans, saying that a spike in drunk patrons stumbling onto the streets could make “all kinds of raucous noise,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

One resident, who lives 200 metres from the pub, said: “We’re already often awoken by undesirables wandering streets at midnight (and) the thought of dealing with this at 2am almost every night after patrons have had an extra two hours of alcohol consumption is quite honestly frightening.

“At its core, this (proposal) threatens to take away the reason we move to Hunters Hill and threatens the family values on which the suburb is built.”

Responding to the complaints, Mr Gallagher says they are industry standard: “I’ve been in this a long time, and that’s pretty normal … The hotel’s been there over 100 years — but why would you buy into the area if that was going to be a problem?”

The up-market pub currently trades until midnight. Picture: Google

Regarding the car door slamming complaints, he says the venue provides public parking for 200 cars — “more than meeting obligations” — so complaints about car doors aren’t coming from the pub’s car park.

It comes amid the NSW government’s October 2024 “vibrancy reforms,” which are designed to boost after-dark trade in areas outside traditional haunts like Kings Cross.

Other venues facing similar hurdles include Charlie Parker’s – a Merivale bar in Paddington – which had its plans to extend trading hours to 2am also rejected by Woollahra Council.

Concerns about “adverse amenity impacts,” public intoxication and noise disturbances on nearby homes were raised.

Locals are worried about increased noise and the sound of car doors closing after midnight. Picture: Google

It’s not just post-midnight proposals being rejected.

Northern Beaches Council refused plans by Clontarf Marina eatery Sandy Bar Cafe to extend trading hours from 3.30pm to 9.30pm due to concerns about noise and traffic.

Venue owners around Sydney have complained that one level of government appears to be pushing for later trading, while another level is fighting back.

The refusals come after a report by the NSW Productivity and Equality Commissioner from September that found that regulatory barriers still hinder Sydney’s night-life, with development applications for longer trading hours costing businesses an average of $38,360.

Originally published as ‘Petty’ reason locals rejected pub’s proposed 2am opening hours