A city bar has applied to extend its trading hours from midnight until 3.30am.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Rogue Scholar in Newcastle West has lodged plans with Newcastle council to vary its development consent in order to take advantage of the year-long trial of relaxed liquor-trading laws.
The Union Street bar, which opened last year, is approved to trade until midnight, or 10pm on Sundays.
It was included in the trial - which began in July but has stalled due to lockdown - but gains no real benefit without varying its council-approved hours.
The trial removed 1.30am venue lockouts, limits on serving shots and cocktails after 10pm, and extended liquor-service hours from 3am to 3.30am for participating venues.
The Rogue Scholar's application states the extension is for the trial only and the hours would revert back once it ceases.
Owner Adam Hardy said the trial would give him an opportunity to "gauge" whether there was demand for a venue like this to trade beyond midnight.
The plans follow a similar development modification from Finnegan's Hotel, which wants to trade until 4am on Friday and Saturday nights, along with nights before public holidays and six other annual event days. It has sought to trade until 4am based on a licensing condition that drink service ceases 30 minutes before closure.
The two venue's applications appear to be at odds with the government's Statement of Regulatory Intent (SRI) that enables the "Newcastle Solution" licensing conditions to be relaxed.
It says "if a venue does not have approval under its existing consent to stay open until as late as 3.30am, it would not be able to make full use of the extra liquor-trading time".
It also says only venues which are "authorised to sell and supply liquor until at least 2.30am" as per the general hours of their liquor licence type would be able to do so until 3.30am, meaning both The Rogue Scholar and Finnegan's will have to apply to extend the hours on their liquor licences as well.
IN THE NEWS
A Liquor & Gaming NSW spokesperson said any development consent changes were a matter for council.
"Venues must sell and supply liquor in accordance with the SRI and their liquor licence conditions and continue to abide by any development consent conditions," a spokesman said.
"Applications to vary ... consent conditions may be made at any time ... and continue to be matters for council."
Dr Anthony Cook, a community representative on the committee overseeing the trial, said he was concerned it was being used to justify "permanent change" to development consents before it has taken place. He said the trial had also prompted non-participating venues to seek trading extensions.
"The Delany [Hotel] has applied for extended hours and part of their justification was that they need to be competitive with those in the trial," he said. "The trial is being done because you don't know if there is potentially adverse impacts. Without that information from the end of the trial, how do you make a determination?"
The Rogue Scholar's plans are on exhibition until Wednesday, September 1.
Finnegan's proposal will be determined by the elected council.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark: newcastleherald.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News