Elite suburb Palm Beach up in arms over decision on trendy new bar
A bitter row has erupted in one of Sydney’s most exclusive areas, all because of one reasonable request.
An isolated restaurant in an exclusive beachside enclave has sparked a bitter row among locals, after the council refused to allow it to stay open past 4pm.
The owners of The Joey, formerly the Barrenjoey Boatshed, wanted to extend its opening hours from 4pm to 11pm each day in its secluded spot at Sydney’s Palm Beach.
But Northern Beaches Council refused the bid, citing concerns over noise impacts on “nearby properties” – despite the closest home being 600m away with a golf course in between.
Owners have recently spent $7 million renovating the waterside venue, which has a licence to operate from 7am to 4pm and therefore won’t be able to serve dinner.
There is currently approval to open until 10pm this Friday and Saturday, but the council’s decision means this weekend could be the Joey’s last evening drinks.
The majority of submissions made to the planning panel supported the plan, with just seven of 139 letters to the council raising concerns.
Following the news, some locals have submitted fresh missives to express their dismay and calling for the decision to be reversed.
Michele Brooks wrote in a searing letter that the decision was an “absolute indictment” on the council for bowing to a small number of people who opposed the extended trading hour.
“The closest neighbours are hundreds of metres away,” she said.
“They are protected by a nine-hole golf course, several roads, many trees and a beach.
In another letter, Dorothy Kamaker wrote that the council had “buckled to pressure from very few objectors” and said a public forum should be held to air out the issue.
“Locals back the restaurant by a margin of about nine to one,” she wrote.
Ms Kamaker said the council should approve the Joey’s application on a trial basis while the council gauges public sentiment.
Palm Beach resident Alex Michael wrote it was imperative that establishments like the Joey were supported, as they “contribute so significantly to the fabric of our community”.
“I am dismayed to see that the voices of a few residents have led to such drastic action by the council,” he wrote.
In its determination the council wrote that the proposed new hours and “inevitable increase in functions, noise, traffic and other amenity issues” did not meet requirements for minimal environmental impacts.
“The proposed increase in operating hours is likely to result in unreasonable amenity impacts to nearby residential properties,” it stated.
Council staff have since promised to meet with the venue’s owners on Friday to discuss the decision, with the NSW Premier Chris Minns also set to hear the owners’ concerns.
The Joey had just opened in February following an extensive rebuild and promises of ”a relaxed waterfront dining experience accompanied by breathtaking views of the private and affluent peninsula”.
One of the main objectors to extended hours, local Stephen Jones, wrote that he could feel the bass from music inside his home hundreds of metres away during a wedding event on March 9.
Mr Jones said the proposal would transform the venue from a “quiet daytime cafe” to an “all day and late-night bar”.
“There are already 3 other function centres in Palm Beach, being The Dunes, Palm Beach Golf Club and Palm Beach Surf Club,” he wrote in a March 11 submission.
“Palm Beach doesn’t need another function centre.
“This is totally unacceptable and needs to be stopped before it starts.”