The Corner wins council fight to extend hours, patrons

More punters will be able to have a late night tipple at Richmond’s famous Corner Hotel after the venue won a council fight — but there’s a catch.

The Corner Hotel, in Swan St Richmond. Picture: Tony Gough

More punters will be able to have a late night tipple at the famous Corner Hotel after the venue won a council fight — but the battle isn’t over yet.

The Richmond band room took its bid to extend trading hours and increase the number of punters to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for the third time since 2007.

In its application against Yarra City Council, the Swan St venue argued a “separate crowd” now attended the pub, with functions and dining now popular in its refurbished upstairs beer garden.

The Tribunal ruled in the Corner’s favour, with an added 200 punters to be able to enjoy a late beer at the venue.

Its capacity has been extended to 950 patrons to 1.30am on Friday and Saturday nights, and public holiday eves, with 750 people permitted from that time until trade’s end at 3am.

The upstairs beer garden and function space will also be able to stay open to 1am — 90 minutes later than before.

But there’s a catch.

Corner Hotel owners Matt Everitt and Tim Northeast on the refurbished rooftop beer garden in 2016. Picture: Nicki Connolly

The Corner will have to abide by strict new conditions.

They include completing an acoustics report, buildings and works in accordance with a prior acoustics report, an updated noise and amenities plan, hourly patrols by security staff in hi-visibility vests and an updated bar food menu to be available until the venue closes.

In a VCAT submission, owner Timothy Northeast gave evidence that the people using the upstairs beer garden “were a ‘separate crowd’ to those attending the band room”.

He said there had been a shift in the type of patrons, reflected in the Corner doubling food sales revenue in the beer garden since its 2016 refurbishment.

Mr Northeast said the Corner made the application to cater to a high demand from punters for the beer garden and enable a more gradual dispersal of people from that area.

The Tribunal accepted his evidence and found the “hotel has developed a second identity connected to the dining and function offerings of the first-floor facilities distinct from its live music offering on the ground floor”.

The Corner has unsuccessfully applied to extend its capacity and opening hours before. Picture: Tony Gough

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It found Swan St had become “a popular ‘after event’ destination for people attending sporting and other events in this area” while there was limited residential impact.

The Corner has applied five times to amend its permit since 2007.

Then, its call to increase patron capacity to 1300 people and opening hours of the beer garden to 3am was rejected.

The Corner refused requests for comment.

@ashargoon