Residents want to scotch Greek restaurant

Residents want to scotch Greek restaurant

Since UN nightclub moved digs from lower Oxford Street to Taylor Square, nearby residents say they can finally sleep soundly at night.

But another proposal to house an entertainment venue in the troubled site has locals fearing history will repeat itself.

Resident group Hyde Park Community Voice says it is firmly against the introduction of The Mediterranean, a 400-seat licensed entertainment restaurant, following a long list of problems experienced while DCM operated at the site.

“When you’ve had the experience of being able to sleep, relatively, most nights, and then to see a function venue for 400 people that wants to go to 2am 7 nights a week, you just go ‘if that goes ahead, we all have to move out’,” said Christine Byrne, president of the Hyde Park group.

The venue has had long-standing soundproofing issues, and multiple acoustics reports have suggested the entire roof be refitted. Recent inspections have also revealed the roof to be exposed in several places.

Ms Byrne said that several hundred dwellings directly opposite and behind the venue felt the immediate effects of noise from the club.

Last year an application to turn the venue into a gay club budgeted $200,000 to soundproof the place, but the development was rejected by City of Sydney Council.

But the current applicants are assuring residents that what they are proposing is the furthest thing from a club, with Greek dancing and cooking lessons, not blaring music, on offer.

“It’s an entertainment restaurant. They’re a lot different because they’re prepaid. You can’t just walk in the door and come in. People wont be queuing up,” said applicant Stephanie Zavras, co-owner of Tandoori Palace and Karaoke Restaurant on Oxford Street.

Ms Zavras added that they would be attracting clients much older than the entertainment strip is used to.

“I wish there were more people like me and my husband running good, clean establishments. We’re in it for the love of it,” she said.

Ms Zavras and her husband want to expand to cater for overflowing demand.

“Unfortunately our Karaoke Restaurant is only a 75-seater and our restaurant is only 85-seater and this discourages corporate customers as they say our venue is too small,” explains the development application.

“There is a large hole in the market place for what we are offering but unfortunately our space does not meet their needs.”

by Angus Thompson

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