A pub’s plan to create a new outdoor dining area has been approved despite backlash from neighbours who claim it will negatively impact their mental health.
The London Hotel in Paddington, Sydney, announced its $50,000 development which would see tables and chairs set up outside in a purpose-built ‘parklet’.
Opening this new 7.5-metre-long area is aimed at boosting late-night dining and will coincide with the pub’s 150th anniversary after it was founded in 1875.
Woollahra Council approved the pub’s ‘parklet’ and its extended operating hours which will see diners served until 11pm.
Supporters and opponents of the new space attended the three-hour meeting, which resulted in a list of more than 70 conditions which the pub agreed to.
These conditions include a ban on amplified music, requirements for security guards on Friday and Saturday nights, a prohibition on smoking, and the introduction of barriers to ensure the safety of diners.
Council heard more than 400 submissions made by locals from both sides of the argument with one even arguing against the parklet because the ‘orange fluoro’ bollards did not fit the aesthetic of the area.
Those who opposed the extension were also worried about the parklet’s effects on pedestrians if tables and chairs blocked access for dog walkers and people with prams.
Woollahra Council has approved plans for The London Hotel in Sydney’s Paddington to build a $50,000 ‘parklet’ outside the pub
The 7.5-metre-long dining area will have 14 seats, and London Hotel licensee Kingsley Smith said he hopes it will boost the area’s alfresco dining scene
Paddington Chamber of Commerce member Jock Bell said the parklet is a good thing.
‘It’s not a parklet that will be going until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays – it will strengthen Paddington as a destination and enhance the sense of community,’ he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Local woman Petra O’Neill, however, opposed it due to the expected noise it could generate.
‘The detrimental impact of this parklet will be felt on our mental health caused by noise and disturbance,’ she said.
‘This is not a cafe or restaurant – it’s a pub where patrons consume alcohol – and the parklet represents enlarging that space outdoors with patrons spilling out onto the street.’
Councillor Mary-Lou Jarvis took issue with the ‘orange fluoro’ bollards around the dining area, which could be incongruous with Paddington’s streetscape.
Councillor Toni Zeltzer worried about the ‘precedent’ the parklet could have on the suburb.
‘It’s just not right to start blistering it out with parklets – it’s not the right spot for it,’ she said.
Woollahra Mayor Sarah Dixson said it will be good to have more food options in the area
London Hotel licensee Kingsley Smith downplayed any notion that his extension would create problems for the neighbourhood.
The parklet would only have 14 seats alongside a sidewalk table, he explained.
‘So it’s not as though there’ll be a huge crowd of people causing noise,’ he said.
Woollahra Mayor Sarah Dixson supported the hotel’s plans, and a council report confirmed the parklet would be in line with its ‘parklet policy’.
Ms Dixson said finding somewhere to eat in Sydney after 10pm on a Friday was next to impossible and that the parklet would help solve this problem.
Mr Smith said since the pandemic, younger generations have chosen to drink alcohol less while indulging in alfresco dining more, which is why he wanted the parklet built.
The parklet is scheduled to open in time for the summer.
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150-year-old pub divides Paddington over plans to create a new outdoor area to revitalise late-night dining: ‘Not the right spot’