Clover sells out residents for 28500 pieces of silver
July 15th, 2009The City of Sydney approved the extension of a footpath license issued to a large bar (The Sugarmill), in December, 2008. The bar is located on the south eastern end of Springfield Plaza, Kings Cross, and the license covered a large portion of this public square (76 sq metres). I was alerted to the existence of the custom built tables and seats by furious residents who claimed they had not been notified or consulted over the original approval of the outdoor beer garden.
The Sugarmill sought an extension of that footpath license after the initial 6 months 
trial and the matter was discussed at council on 6th July 2009. The vote at the Council meeting was 7 to 2 for the extension with myself and Councillor Burgmann opposing it. Since then, a story in the Sydney Morning Herald has described the area as “an alfresco drinking zone”.
What’s in it for council? $28500 per annum and less complaints about drug dealing in Springfield Plaza. What’s in it for the residents of Carisbrook and Carinyah (Art deco apartment blocks built in the 1920’s) in Springfield Ave? The noise and disruption of a large hotel that trades until 5.00am and an outdoor beer garden that is literally metres away that will also be trading seven days a week up until 9pm.
The spokesman for the Kings Cross Partnership, Mr Adrian Bartels, thinks the beer garden is a great idea and that residents should either move to Pymble or buy some ear plugs. However, I have a different view - that the residents were there a long time before the pub and they have a right to the reasonable enjoyment of their homes. It is up to the pub to do what ever is necessary to deal with the negative effects of its operation and to bear the cost of those measures. To date it is clear to me that they have not done that and that’s why I opposed the extension to the license.
In 2005 when solutions to stop drug activity in the area were sought, Clover said alfresco dining was an option, but what eventuated was a three-storey pub catering to 1250 people and an outdoor beer garden.
There are other ways Council could have activated this space, but the background to this saga suggests that residents and council may have been misled.
In 2008, once the community became aware of the approval, a question was put to the Lord Mayor at the December Council meeting by Cr Shayne Mallard. In response the Lord Mayor said : “….. I would like some remedial action to address it and clearly the structures around are not part of our policy………….” This response seems to indicate that the Lord Mayor was not supportive of or aware of the footway license approval.
However in an email dated 2nd July 2009, the Sugarmill owner wrote to councillors and claimed that the City of Sydney had approached him to apply for a footpath license and that the City had specified the kind of furniture that was required.
If this allegation is true then the Lord Mayor has misled the council during question time and she has misled residents who have been adversely affected by the after hours operation of the beer garden every night of the week. When I asked her about this at the 6th July Council meeting Clover denised any knowledge of the application for permission to install a beer garden in Springfield Plaza. For a person who claims to be a champion of residents rights against the beer barns that is a very disappointing response. Residents are entitled to feel they have been sold out by the Lord Mayor who has exchanged their residential amenity for a pittance.
The report on the proposed extension of the footpath license that was presented to the Corporate Finance, Properties & Tenders Committee on June 29th indicated that no submissions/objections were received from local residents to the original application for a footpath license.
It is inconceivable that residents would ignore this application given the controversy that had been created by the replacement of a Westpac Bank and a Hungry Jacks with two bars licensed for thousands people in a plaza that fronted blocks of heritage residential apartments that were built in the 1920’s. Any proposal to create a beer garden would have received determined opposition from residents in Springfield Ave as is the case now – 22 submissions have been received asking council to reject the extension. It is obvious that the original application was not properly or adequately notified to those who would have been most affected.
Now that the Lord Mayor has allowed the beer garden to continue it is likely that residents will be confronted by a second beer garden application in the next few months.
The trial footpath license for The Elk, a bar on the other side of Springfield Plaza, will be up for renewal shortly. If Clover persists with her current attitude the residents of Springfield Ave will be treated to a 7 day per week party in the Plaza right on their doorsteps.
This seems very unreasonable to me.
Photos: Top: Patrons spill out onto the public square at 12.30am. According to residents this is what usually happens.
Bottom: Outdoor dining occupies a large portion of the public space
Below is a pdf of the Sydney Morning Herald article
