Palm Beach restaurant decision a ‘fiasco’, locals say
A council’s decision to block a new restaurant from opening past 4pm caught the NSW Premier’s eye – and locals remain dumbfounded.
A “fiasco” was the term one resident of an exclusive Sydney suburb used to describe the local council’s decision to reject a new restaurant’s bid to open for dinner and evening drinks.
One week on since news broke of The Joey’s unsuccessful bid to trade until 11pm, it was still the talk of the town for dumbfounded locals in Palm Beach.
The owners of The Joey, formerly the Barrenjoey Boatshed, applied to stay open seven hours later than its current 4pm cut off each day at its secluded spot on the water.
Northern Beaches Council knocked them back, citing concerns over noise impacts on “nearby properties” – despite the closest home being an 800m walk away and having the barrier of a golf course in between.
The story kickstarted a new wave of focus on “NIMBY” issues in Sydney and even caught the eye of NSW Premier Chris Minns, who invited the owners to meet with him this week.
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Palm Beach is known as one of Sydney’s most private enclaves, recording a median age of 58 among its residents at the 2021 Census.
Located about an hour’s drive north of the CBD, it is home to business heavyweights, well healed retirees and long-term locals who have lived in the suburb for decades.
The Joey’s owners spent millions renovating the waterside venue, which only has a licence to operate from 7am to 4pm and therefore can’t serve dinner.
Of the 139 submissions made to the council about the development application, just seven opposed the plans.
Four of the objectors, who posted identical letters to the council, did not list their addresses but at least two submissions against the proposal were lodged by residents in Waratah Rd.
It is a short, dead end street across the road from the golf course and around 800m, an 11 minute walk along the beach, from the restuarant.
But their views weren’t shared by others in the street who spoke to news.com.au on Tuesday.
One resident who supported The Joey’s application said the options for night activities or an evening meal were lacking in the area.
“It’s crazy, we all want it,” she said.
“I don’t know anyone else who doesn’t want this (apart from those who objected).”
Neighbour Jennifer Lawrence agreed, saying she was “shocked” by the decision and believed The Joey should be allowed to open at night.
Her home backs onto the water but she says she “never heard a thing, ever”, coming from the venue.
“I just don’t get it. We’re not even near them,” she said.
One objector, Stephen Jones wrote to the council that noise from a wedding event held at The Joey until 10pm on March 9 had “caused a serious amount of anxiety” to his family.
“The application for an almost doubling of the operating hours will result in significant adverse effects to the neighbours of the venue,” he wrote.
“The venue which was once a quiet daytime cafe will very quickly turn into an all day and late night bar and Function centre with all of the associated adverse effects on the neighbours.”
He was not home when news.com.au visited on Tuesday.
It was an idyllic morning on the peninsula, with dog walkers strolling through parks and groups of golfers enjoying a leisurely round by the water.
News.com.au caught up with Andrew Rich while he stopped for a rest during a bike ride next to the golf course.
He called the decision to refuse The Joey later opening hours “a fiasco”.
“I just think it’s absurd,” he said. “It’s great. It’s a necessary part of the entertainment in the area.”
Mr Rich lives close to Dunes Palm Beach, a restaurant and wedding venue which he said can create noise but it was not something that bothered him.
“I mean we live in a city. If you want to live in the bush and have no noise, go to the bush,” he said.
David Phipps, from nearby Avalon, also said the longer opening hours should go ahead after the significant outlay of the owners.
Another resident said, however, news coverage of the issue had been too one sided and there were legitimate concerns that should be ironed out.
Up the road at The Joey, dozens of people sat enjoying coffee and breakfast overlooking Station Beach while owner Rob Domjen buzzed around the venue.
Mr Domjen politely declined to provide commentary on recent developments, saying he preferred to take a step back as the issue played out through official channels.
He and business partner Ben May met with the council on Friday, where a review of the application was discussed.
Mr May told the Sydney Morning Herald this week he would pursue a challenge in the Land and Environment Court while uncertainty around the outcome remained.
The owners also met with Mr Minns, who told media last week the decision represented “the opposite direction” to the government’s vision for Sydney’s hospitality scene, and Night-time Economy Minister John Graham.
Mr Graham, in a statement, said it was concerning that the matter could end up in court if the parties fail to agree a “commonsense solution”.
“The NSW government is considering options as to how the state’s regulatory framework can support venues in situations like this. We will have more to say,” he said.
Mr Graham said although the government was stopping single noise complaints from shutting down venues, in this particular case the Joey was restricted by its council DA.
“Of course, there is a balance to be struck between legitimate concerns over local amenity and the imperative to encourage businesses to trade and communities everywhere in NSW to have more options after dark,” the minister said.
The Joey is not the first Palm Beach restaurant to come under the microscope due to noise complaints in recent times.
Around the corner from Waratah Rd was the newly-opened pizza restaurant Casa, until it shut down after the Easter long weekend. The site was until recently a homewares store.
The pop-up, run by the Boathouse Group was open until 9pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
Staff could be seen packing up on Tuesday, with chairs stacked neatly inside the empty restaurant.
It’s understood the venue had received some noise complaints and owners decided not to extend the lease when it came up for renewal.
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Another past venue at the same location as Casa, Cranky Fins, closed down in 2015.
Its owner told Good Food at the time that complaints had also influenced him not to renew the lease.
“Running a restaurant is supposed to be fun but it became unenjoyable,” Andrew Ruwold said.