Melbourne City Council considering Atet nightclub’s application for altered hours
The operators of an open-air nightclub are facing backlash from residents over plans to open on Anzac Day and Good Friday.
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Melbourne’s first open-air floating nightclub Atet has applied for a permit to operate on Good Friday and Anzac Day, sparking fresh outrage from fed-up residents.
The venue, which sparked outrage among Docklands families when it pumped beats until 1am each night of its opening weekend, was forced to apply to Melbourne City Council for altered trading hours after an “administrative error” meant it had no permit for Sunday trading.
The council decided against fining Atet for breaching its permit on the opening weekend, and is now considering the application for altered hours – including on Good Friday and Anzac Day.
Residents say the council has promised to do acoustic spot-checks at the club, to ensure it is not breaching noise limits, but that the music is still echoing around neighbourhoods and interrupting sleep.
In its application for extra trading hours, Atet says it had “worked tirelessly to enable the commencement of their business after the devastation of the COVID-19 state of emergency and associated lockdowns”.
It says a venue management plan ticked off by council had included Sunday trading.
“The ability for our client to trade on Sundays is critical to the success and survival of the business,” the application says.
Residents have already sent objections to Melbourne City Council, saying the noise was still too loud despite acoustic testing saying it was within EPA limits.
Jules Muir, who lives on the south side of the Yarra River, sent a submission saying that “having an open air nightclub smack bang in the middle of a residential area on water is absolutely ridiculous”.
“Noise bounces off water and it also travels up – in this case right up to the surrounding high rises which make a perfect amphitheatre for the noise,” his submission says.
The council has told residents it will consider objections before making a decision on the planning permit alteration application.
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