Residents welcome Bellevue Cottage plan

Glebe residents have welcomed Council’s plan to open a 60-seat indoor-outdoor-café at the vacant Bellevue Cottage overlooking Blackwattle Bay.

The City spent about 1.3-million-dollars restoring the cottage in 2007 and requires that the lessee makes a space available for community use.

President of The Glebe Society, Lesley Lynch, says the foreshore walk is a stunning location for a low-key café.

“The bulk of the clientele will be the large numbers of people already using the walk,” she says.

“Glebe Point Rd and surrounds are well supplied with excellent cafes and coffee shops already – the park … is the big drawcard.”

Most local residents think a café is a great idea but some are concerned about parking.

Resident Danielle Getts, 37, who lives on Leichhardt Street, says the value of her property could depreciate if café customers use their street parking.

“It’s a lovely idea but the Council is allowing for extra entertainment where there is no parking … [they] need to accommodate more parking if they want to have a café nearby,” she says.

But Bill Robinson, 61, of Annandale, who uses the Blackwattle Bay walk daily, says the café will encourage people to use the walk.

“Parking shouldn’t be an issue because the main people that will use the café are people walking past,” he says.

“Customers don’t need to drive to the café – they can just walk.”

Having a business there will also deter vandals and keep the premises safe, he says.

The proposed café, yet to have an operator, will be open from about six am till six pm daily.

Greens Councillor Chris Harris says the proposed hours are reasonable.

“An 8pm finish in summer is very reasonable – it is still light then,” he says.

“It is a licensed café, not a bar or a noisy pub. It should be appreciated by the locals. A great place to have a coffee or a glass of wine and take in the lovely scenery.”

President of the Glebe Chamber of Commerce, Paul Angell says the DA is a fantastic idea as there are no nearby cafes, but says he was dismayed of the lengthy DA approval process.

“This particular DA was unusual – It took longer than expected because the Council owns the premises and had to out-source an independent assessor,” he says.

By Laura Cathery