Upmarket Richmond venue Fenix Events convicted and fined for Yarra Council noise complaints
A posh Richmond reception venue has been sounded-out in court after neighbours complained of noisy late-night and illegal parties.
Melbourne City
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A swank riverfront venue once-owned by a celebrity TV chef has been slapped with more than $20,000 in fines for hosting noisy events after legal operating hours.
Fenix Events owners failed to front Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Thursday for a planned two-day contested hearing after the Richmond venue was slapped with multiple infringements.
Yarra Council prosecuted the posh multi-level reception venue after it received multiple complaints from aggrieved neighbours — some of whom lived on the other side of the river.
The court was heard management of the Victoria St venue nestled on the banks of the Yarra had been hosting weddings and other events beyond operating hours.
Allegations heard in court included the venue blasted live music while doors were open and large crowds of people were on outside terraces beyond permitted operating times.
The breaches, some of which were witnessed by council staff, occurred between August 2019 and February last year.
The council alleged Fenix, trading as Fenix Receptions Pty Ltd, ignored permitted opening hours and frequently hosted functions well past 11pm on weeknights.
The noise was so loud it could be heard by people living on the other side of the Yarra, the court was told.
Fenix management ignored multiple fines sent to them by the council and the matter was taken to court.
That trend continued on Thursday, when Magistrate John Hardy and Yarra Council legal representative Matthew Sherwell waited over an hour for Fenix representatives to appear.
After multiple attempts to contact them via email and phone calls failed, Magistrate Hardy decided that they were remaining “deliberately incommunicado” and allowed the matter to be heard Ex Parte.
Magistrate Hardy found the charges proven in the absence of any submissions from Fenix and convicted the restaurant on nine charges of breaching noise restrictions.
Fenix was fined $2000 for each breach and ordered to pay council legal costs of $3427.40.
Magistrate Hardy asked the court clerk to let other courts know that there was a “footloose” magistrate with a lot of unexpected free time on his hands.
The Fenix site was once part-owned by former MasterChef host Gary Mehigan who sold out to Leonda By The Yarra function group in 2013.
The Fenix Events website link now lands at a page which purportedly trades as Leonda By The Yarra.
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