Darwin council strips Dom’s Bar of outdoor dining permit

A SUBURBAN cocktail bar has been stripped of its temporary outdoor dining permit due to ongoing noise complaints

Dominic Wundke from Dom's Bar in Nightcliff has had it's outdoor dining license withdrawn after numerous noise complaints. Picture: Che Chorley

ONGOING noise complaints have stripped cocktail bar Dom’s Bar of its temporary outdoor dining permit, which was granted to local eateries and bars during coronavirus.

Darwin Council chief executive Scott Waters said after ongoing complaints and investigations, the council had immediately withdrawn the temporary permit, which was initially created to encourage trade during the height of coronavirus.

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“We’ve had a number of complaints from residents within the area, council has investigated that, we worked with Liquor Licensing as well and for the foreseeable future we won’t be renewing that type of permit,” he said.

Dom’s Bar owner Dom Wundke said he hoped the withdrawal was short-lived, having recently applied for a permanent outdoor dining permit. “Some customers are going to be disappointed but at the moment there’s nothing we can do about it,” he said.

Dominic Wundke from Dom's Bar in Nightcliff has had it's outdoor dining license withdrawn after numerous noise complaints. Picture: Che Chorley

“We are a community bar, we are a local bar, we need to make sure it works for everyone. We’ll do what we can to mitigate any concerns people may have.”

Mr Waters said outdoor dining could one day return to the venue.

“On the balance of complaints that were made, I made that decision on (Tuesday) afternoon,” he said.

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“He was disappointed, I can understand that but we’ll need to follow a process where everyone can have input and we’ll bring that decision to council.

“They will need to go through a formalised process to have anything from a permanent perspective, and that will allow the community to have a greater say as well.”