Moorish, Little Miss Korea, Babylon Berlin, Good Thanks stick together for Liquor Commission fight

A MOVE to have all four businesses pushing to have outdoor dining in Austin Lane and Spain Place is being put together

A MOVE to have all four businesses pushing to have outdoor dining in Austin Lane and Spain Place is being put together, with hopes of developing a bustling new precinct.

Hospitality NT have entered discussions with the Director of Licencing with hopes of having cases for Good Thanks, Moorish, Little Miss Korea and Babylon Berlin combined to reduce red tape.

A combined application could also reduce costs for each business.

MORE TOP NEWS

Moorish, Good Thanks, Little Miss Korea, Babylon Berlin granted outdoor dining permits by Darwin council

Darwin Alderman Emma Young has resigned from Darwin council after five years as elected member

Father of alleged CBD basher arrested outside courthouse after son’s court mention

Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce said he hoped the Liquor Commission could follow council’s lead in approving all businesses in one go, saving time and further cutting red tape.

“We are working with businesses to progress their licence changes,” he said.

“We support the Liquor Commission dealing with all the applications in one swoop.”

While exceptions were made during 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a number of liquor applications being fast-tracked, the applications relating to the four businesses will have to undergo the regular Liquor Commission Process meaning it could be a while before on-street trading begins despite council’s swift action.

But Mr Bruce said if the businesses could begin trading on the streetscape as soon as possible, the Darwin hospitality sector would build on its strong momentum while other states continued to return to normal.

“Reducing red tape and regulatory burden should be a focus of council and the NTG on all licensed premises across the city,” he said.

“This dry season will be a great time to be out and about in the city.”

But Minister for Licensing Natasha Fyles has dashed hopes of going through a fast-tracked process as some did during the pandemic, saying any applications from the businesses would have to go through the regular process.

“We want to make the Territory the best and easiest place in the country to do business, and I welcome the move from these businesses to expand and be innovative, especially during the coronavirus crisis,” she said.

$1 FOR ALL YOUR NEWS? HERE’S HOW: Sign up now to our amazing deal of $1 for 28 days

“The approval from the City of Darwin is the first step in the approval process to get them there.”

NT Property Council chief executive Ruth Palmer said alfresco dining was something the Top End had to get right.

“The scale of our alfresco dining offering in the CBD is underperforming for a capital city, let alone a tropical city,” she said.

“We believe that there is little point in only removing one layer of red tape, while other remain as potential barriers to achieving tangible outcomes.”

Follow @zwar_w