I run a bar in a suburb that was once the top nightlife district in Australia… I couldn’t believe the response from NIMBYs when I made a simple request

A famous bar and restaurant magnate has won a tough battle against NIMBYs who wanted to cut trading hours at his latest entertainment business.

Maurice Terzini, owner of the famous Bondi Icebergs restaurant, opened a bar called Mirage KX about six months ago in a former strip club in Sydney’s infamous inner city, Kings Cross.

He wanted the new development to be able to trade until 3am, but some locals were strongly against this, saying it would be an ‘unbearable’ imposition.

Kelly Steele, the strata manager of a 39-unit building near the bar, said some residents couldn’t sleep because of the noise and “drunk patrons leaving the club.”

“Noise levels emanating from and as a result of KX’s patronage are intolerable and disruptive to the physical and mental well-being of residents,” Ms. Steele wrote in a submission to the council.

‘Although this noise level can affect anyone, the elderly and shift workers, such as nurses, are particularly affected.’

Other submissions to Sydney City Council complained of revelers ‘yelling and shouting in the streets’, cars ‘honking’ and car doors being slammed’, which could ‘destroy the harmony and peaceful environment of the area’.

Mr Terzini argued that longer trading hours would help bring nightlife back to Kings Cross, which had been a haven for nightclubs and strip bars for decades, and revitalize the ‘dying’ district.

“In my opinion, everything in the Cross should be open 24 hours a day because the development will always be in the city center and we are only doing business,” Mr Terzini told the newspaper. Daily Telegraph.

He said that despite the objections of some local residents, many neighbors love what he and Mirage KX co-owner Peter Shopovski are doing, adding that they wanted to “bring some positivity to the area.”

“Before we took over, the location was a strip club and a nightclub. It was probably there before many of the neighbors moved in.

“We’re not here to keep people awake at night, but we also need to bring some much-needed vibrancy to a dying trading area.”

In its submission to the council, Mirage KX said “after the Covid-19 pandemic and previous lockout laws, the city’s night-time economy is still recovering.”

‘The proposal will support this recovery by providing a vibrant and safe entertainment venue that will stay open until 3am.’

An application was submitted to the council to have the 3am closing time tested for five years, but was only approved for an initial period of 12 months.

The partial victory over groaning locals follows the end of lockout laws in 2021, which had restricted the opening hours of venues in some Sydney suburbs.

In making its decision, the council found that Mirage KX had sufficient noise abatement measures in place to address potential disruptions.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Mr Terzini and the Mirage KX location for further comment.