Karl Stefanovic has slammed a local council over strict opening hours rules imposed on an iconic Home and Away landmark in Palm Beach.
The Barrenjoey Boathouse is instantly recognizable as Alf’s Bait House and Summer Bay’s Pier Diner in Home and Away, and has been used to film exterior shots of both sites since the soap’s premiere in 1988.
The landmark has recently been renovated and rebranded as The Joey, and transformed into a modern dining venue by owner and experienced restaurateur Ben May.
As well as opening for breakfast and lunch, May wants to turn the cafe into a nightspot to attract more locals, tourists and local and visiting fans, but has been stopped short.
It has submitted an application to Northern Beaches Council to change opening hours from 7am to 4pm to allow them to stay open until 11pm seven days a week.
Karl Stefanovic has slammed the local council over strict opening hours rules imposed on a Home and Away landmark in Palm Beach.
Currently, Joey’s is only allowed to stay open until 10 pm during daylight saving time, but May wants to permanently serve diners into the evenings.
However, the application was rejected by the city council after a handful of residents complained about the extended hours due to noise and traffic concerns.
May appeared on Tuesday’s Today show to discuss the decision with hosts Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo, and they all expressed outrage at the rejection.
Karl, 49, shared his disbelief that the application was rejected, even though the nearest neighbors to the site were about 600 meters away, on the other side of a nine-hole golf course.
He also harshly criticized the council for its decision, after only seven complaints were made, compared to 132 letters of support for the local community’s night trade.
Newly renovated local cafe The Barrenjoey Boathouse, named The Joey, is instantly recognizable as Alf’s Bait House and Summer Bay’s Pier Diner in Home and Away.
‘This is a world-renowned place (…) It is absolutely magnificent and should be a place that can be enjoyed until 11 at night. It just defies belief,’ he said.
“It seems to me that when someone wants to do something for an area and it’s mostly supported, there are a couple of people who ruin it for most people.”
Landlord Mr May described the rejection as “ridiculous” and insisted he would take the ruling to the Land and Environment Court, saying he was confident he would win.
‘It’s a bit ridiculous isn’t it? “There is a golf course between us and these people and they have found reasons to have problems with it,” he stated.
‘We presented the request to the city council to extend the hours. There were three complaints (we think some were duplicated, they said there were seven) and there were 132 letters of support from the local community.’
New owner Ben May wants to transform the iconic seafront venue into a late-night restaurant as well as a cafe during the day, but his offer to extend opening hours was rejected by the council.
And he added: “Seriously, it’s three or four people who are ruining everything for thousands of people.” All the northern beaches could have enjoyed this space and I hope they do because we are going to take it to court and we don’t see ourselves losing.’
May insisted the northern beaches do not need another cafe but would benefit from a “seafront dining experience” in the evening as she explained how restrictions will hamper them.
He continued: “We took on the existing hours, which were limited to 4pm in winter and then on Friday and Saturday nights until 10pm during summer time, which was fine when it used to operate as The Boathouse Cafe – it offered a strong breakfast and then lunch.
‘We wanted to do a dinner there and build a dining business because the northern beaches don’t need another cafe, but what they do need is a world-class waterfront dining experience. “We saw that opportunity.”
May appeared on the Today show to discuss the council’s rejection of her application, calling it “ridiculous”, while presenter Karl agreed and urged them to reconsider the ruling.
May argued that “large, busy” pubs located closer to residents’ homes elsewhere can open in the evening, citing nearby businesses that are also allowed to do so.
“It’s shameful that Sydney is a city that hits things like this on the head,” he added.
Addressing the few residents who complained, Karl fumed: “Relax a little, you get boring with old age!”
Northern Beaches Council notes showed the three-person panel was concerned about the impact of extended opening hours on nearby residents due to additional noise and traffic.
“The panel is of the opinion that the increased hours of operation and the inevitable increase in functions, noise, traffic and other service problems resulting from these extended hours do not meet the requirement of having minimal environmental impact,” the panel said. advice. the decision.
The stunning site overlooks the water and its nearest neighbors are about 600 meters away, across a golf course, but the application was rejected due to noise concerns.
“The proposed increase in hours of operation is likely to result in unreasonable impacts to the amenity of nearby residential properties.”
“No acoustic tests have been carried out during the performances since the recent reopening of the venue,” the ruling adds.
WhatsNew2Day Australia has contacted the Northern Beaches Council for further comment.