Colombian applies for 24-hour trading extension

Residents are concerned about the Colombian Hotel on lower Oxford Street being granted a 24-hour trading extension.

The hotel has applied to continue the trial despite being listed as a “Level one venue”, meaning 19 or more assaults were recorded as occurring there in the 12 months to June 2009.

Spokesperson for the Hyde Park Community Voice, Christine Byrne said she was concerned about the Hotel being granted the extension in light of the listing.

“The City of Sydney’s Late Night Trading Development Control Plan … says extended trading hours are a privilege, not a right and they’ll only be granted on the basis of previous trials and ongoing demonstration of good management,” she said.

“So one would have to say that if someone is a Level one controlled premise then they don’t actually fit under the definition of good management.

“If … they get an extension of five years, which is saying they demonstrate good management, then it actually makes a farce of every piece of legislation that’s around.”

President Doug Purdie from the East Sydney Neighbourhood Association also said the application should not be approved.

“If they were able to manage the hours they’ve got and not have violence then there wouldn’t be an issue,” he said.

An opposing viewpoint came from the President of the Darlinghurst Business Partnership, Andrew Duckmanton, who said the Colombian was not poorly managed.

“They’re not a bad operator,” he said.

“The McHugh Group [who own and operate the venue] in many ways do go out of their way to stick to RSA and all the correct responsibility in servicing.”

He said the deeper issue was policy in regard to 24-hour trading.

“Personally, 24-hour trading is something that really needs to be better considered through a policy point of view by the State Government and the City of Sydney,” he said.

“It’s very difficult when you do not have a policy around this to use rollovers of DAs as a way of having a faux-policy.

“Can you critique the rollover of a DA and penalise that operator when we haven’t as a community, including authorities … actually moved any further on this debate on what the policy should be?”

City of Sydney Councillor Shayne Mallard said there had been Council debate around the Hotel Industry disputing the figures used by the State Government to compile the Level one premises list.

“When an assault occurs, the officers ask the person where they were drinking at, and that often is the hotel that is recorded as being involved – sometimes the people aren’t even at the premises,” he said.

“I think one assault is too many … but the other problem with assault figures is it’s not weighted on the basis of the number of patrons in the venue … you could argue that … they’ve got to give some consideration to the number of patrons who are well behaved there.”

However he said the discussion on this DA may be moot anyway.

“Having said that, [we’re] in the middle of the [alcohol] freeze, so I would think that the Council really doesn’t have an option but to refuse to continue the extension.”