Tavern wants longer trading hours

Len Greer is one of a number of neighbours at Pottsville opposing extended trading hours till midnight for the Pottsville Tavern.

Blainey Woodham

THIRD time lucky – that’s the hope of the owners of the Pottsville Tavern who are trying for the third time in 10 years to have the pub’s trading hours extended past 10pm.

But the application has riled nearby neighbours who say many of them were there before the pub was built and already put up with noise and disruptions at night.

“It seems totally unfair,” said nearby resident and retired former president of the Pottsville Community Association Len Greer. The applicant can keep coming back until he wears us down.”

Addressing councillors at a community access session on Thursday, Mr Greer said residents were disappointed that council planning staff had recommended councillors at their meeting next Tuesday approve a trial period of extended hours for 12 months.

Beachside Court Pty Ltd has applied for the original terms of approval of the tavern to be altered to extend closing times from 10 pm to midnight Monday to Saturday and on public holidays.

Council planners have rejected extending hours on public holidays but suggested a 12-month trial of the extended Monday-to-Saturday hours subject to several new conditions.

Those include noise from the pub not being “audible within any habitable room” of nearby homes after 10.30pm and a ban on patrons remaining in “unenclosed areas” of the tavern after 10pm. As well at least one uniformed security guard must be employed when the pub trades after 10pm until half-an-hour after closing, and a free 12-seater courtesy bus service provided for late-night patrons.