It’s far from business as usual at the Eveleigh Hotel in Redfern, after incessant noise complaints from the neighbourhood prompted local officials to impose certain restrictions.
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Based on planning restrictions proposed by the Sydney City Council on 27 January 2023, future live music will be banned and outdoor seating up to 8:00 p.m. will be reduced to a maximum of six people on two tables.
According to the hotel, these new restrictions are having an adverse impact on the hotel’s business which could be detrimental to the future viability of the family-run enterprise.
Hoping to reverse Sydney City Council’s proposed restrictions on outdoor seating and live music at The Eveleigh, the hotel’s shift manager Danny Leyland has launched an online petition, which already received over 3,000 signatures out of the target 5,000 in just three weeks since it started.
“Actions taken by the council have caused great damage to the essential character of The Eveleigh Hotel. It is difficult to explain in this petition the degree of stress and anxiety experienced by the staff who, as one member of the front of house team put it, ‘feel constantly on edge’ as a result of the ever-anticipated complainant,” the petition reads.
According to Mr Leyland, the incessant complaints they have been receiving for the past year or so from a neighbour is considered to be both unfounded and fair.
The pub insisted that the only live music they present is distinctly family-friendly, both in noise levels and character. Their live jazz events take place on Saturday afternoons and finish at around 7:00 p.m.
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Customers were also alleged to have caused disruption outside, including drinking in the street, shouting, and smoking in anti-social areas. As a result, the hotel is already on a final warning.
“We at The Eveleigh Hotel completely and utterly reject these proposals, and we hope that you – the public – will help support us in this action,” Mr Leyland wrote.
Published 20-March-2023
