Residents win court battle against Darlinghurst night club

20 February 2008

A Taylor Square night club operating without development approval and without an entertainment licence has been forced to suspend entertainment activities under a judgement handed down in the Land & Environment Court yesterday.

The owners of the T2 night club at Taylor Square, Darlinghurst which also includes the T2 Basement (formerly known as Manacle Bar) and Vegas Lounge can continue operating as a hotel but cannot offer public entertainment such as a night club.

The City of Sydney Council commenced legal proceedings against the operators of the premises in late 2007 following repeated requests for the premises to comply with building and safety standards. An inspection by City Officers found the building failed to comply with fire and safety guidelines with 50 deficiencies requiring immediate attention.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP said the court decision is a win for local residents and nearby businesses and follows years of complaints about anti-social behaviour including crime, noise and violence from patrons leaving and arriving.

"There have been ongoing complaints about this premise, particularly on weekends when a day club operates effectively creating 24-hour trading," Ms Moore said.

"Large numbers of patrons, many from outside the area, congregate and there have been serious ongoing impacts on local amenity, disturbance to neighbours and violence.

"While late night venues help create a vibrant city, poorly managed premises impact on residents' safety and amenity. Sydney has the greatest concentration of 24-hour and late-night trading licensed premises in Australia with nearly 2,000 licensed premises including over 400 licensed hotels, clubs and nightclubs.

"There needs to be a balance between providing late night entertainment and ensuring a safe and pleasant living environment for the City's 165,000 residents," Ms Moore said.

The Court Order against the Taylor Square hotel prohibits the use of the premises as a place of public entertainment unless a development application is granted and operating. No development application has been lodged at this time.

The operator must also restrain from advertising, leasing or licensing the premises for purpose of public entertainment and restrain from further internal or external building works without development consent.

The Court also ordered the operator to pay the City's legal expenses.