Update: Council approves DA for THE MEDITERRANEAN restaurant, bar and function venue
The former DCM premises at the western end of Oxford Street are set to become a restaurant, bar and function venue for 305 people. The Mediterranean’s website advertises its availability for functions such as hen’s nights and buck’s nights.
On 28th December 2009, the development application was granted consent by Council’s planning department under delegation of Council, subject to a number of conditions. They considered that “the proposal will have no significant detrimental effect relating to environmental, social or economic impacts on the locality...” and that it “will have no detrimental effect on the public interest” – all “subject to appropriate conditions being imposed”. They believe those conditions will “minimise amenity impacts on residential properties”. We don’t agree.
All Councillors were asked to call the application before a meeting of the Planning Development and Transport Committee – no-one did.
The conditions that have been imposed include:
| Hours of operation | Midday to midnight Sunday to Thursday; Midday to 2.00 am the following day on Friday & Saturday. Hours past midnight are allowed on a 1 year trial basis |
| Primary Use of Premises | The primary use of the premises is to be a restaurant and function venue with pre-booked dine-in patrons. The bar component of the use is to be ancillary to the primary restaurant and function venue. The use of the premises as a nightclub or the like, is not approved |
| Patron Capacity | 305 persons |
| Operational Controls | Trading on Friday and Saturday nights must be restricted to pre-booked and pre-paid patrons with allocated seating only |
| The sale and service of alcohol must cease at least 30 minutes prior to the close of trading. | |
| Management shall be responsible for the control of noise, loitering and litter generated by patrons and shall ensure that people leave the premises and area in an orderly manner | |
| A maximum of 10 patrons from the premises is permitted to smoke adjacent to the entrance of the premise on Oxford Street at any time. Security officers are required to monitor and control the number of patrons smoking on the footway and ensure unobstructed access along the footway is maintained at all times. | |
| The issue of complimentary entry passes for surrounding nightclubs, particularly premises situated in Oxford Street, to patrons is not permitted | |
| Two (2) security officers are to be employed on Friday and Saturday nights and are to remain at the entry/exit point until 30 minutes after closing even when the last patron has left the premises and shall assist in the quiet and good order of the patrons leaving the areaSecurity officers shall move-on any persons loitering or congregating on the footway or any adjoining area within 50 metres of the entrance to the premises, so as to maintain unobstructed pedestrian access and the social amenity of the area. | |
| Queuing | Patrons are not permitted to queue at the entrance of the premises on Oxford Street |
| Noise | Noise from the use must not be audible within any habitable room in any residential property between the hours of 12.00 midnight and 7.00am |
You can read more on the decision and the conditions of consent.