Petition for live jazz to continue at The Eveleigh Hotel after Sydney City council’s ban
A small pub in central Sydney has been forced to suspend its famous ‘gentle jazz’ sessions after a crackdown by the ‘nanny state’ council.
The Eveleigh Hotel in Chippendale has launched an online petition to overturn a series of restrictions imposed by Sydney City Council.
The quiet corner pub describes itself as a ‘family-friendly community centre’ and is best known for its ‘gentle jazz’ sessions which finish at 7pm every Saturday.
However, the council claims to have received ‘several complaints’ about the pub and its customers, including that customers are unruly and the music is too loud.
As a result, the council has banned live music in the pub, restricted the number of people allowed to sit at a table before 8pm, demanded renovations and ordered the pub to close its windows and doors to reduce noise pollution.
Sydney City Council has banned The Eveleigh Hotel (above) from playing live ‘gentle jazz’ music on Saturday nights
The council said it had received several noise complaints about the pub describing itself as a gambling-free, ‘family-friendly community centre’ (photo, patrons of The Eveleigh)
The crackdown has enraged locals, who say Sydney’s council is taking the fun out of the city.
“Over the past year, we have been the victim of incessant noise complaints from a neighbor, complaints that we and our community of customers consider unfounded and unfair,” the hotel wrote under the petition.
‘We at The Eveleigh Hotel reject these proposals completely and completely and we hope that the public will assist us in this action.
“Our management and staff have already responded to previous restrictions from the council at enormous cost and personal effort, despite the fact that we believed these restrictions were not based on reasonable judgment or sound evidence.”
The Eveleigh said staff were under incredible stress from the restrictions and were in constant fear of being watched for mistakes by people wanting to complain.
Actions by the council have done great damage to the essential character of The Eveleigh Hotel.
“It’s hard to explain the level of stress and anxiety experienced by staff who, as one member of the front-of-house team put it, ‘feel perpetually tense’ as a result of always anticipated complaints.
“To our dismay, staff have described experiencing a ‘fearful atmosphere’ at The Eveleigh where any minor breach of the rules can be witnessed and photographed by a complainant or council themselves.
“In one case, such an atmosphere led to an actual stress-related physical illness that required calling an ambulance during a shift.”
The owner wrote that the continued restrictions and rules for guests could see The Eveleigh closed.
“Unfortunately, these restrictions are directly detrimental to the future viability of our family business,” it wrote.
‘The danger is that persistent restrictions could very well lead to the closure of the pub as you know it.’
The Eveleigh (above) has started an online petition to reduce the restrictions imposed by the council – including closing doors and windows, no live music and limiting the number of people allowed to sit at a table
Furious neighbors around The Eveleigh (above) criticized the council for destroying their ‘community centre’
The petition has garnered more than 1,000 signatures since it was launched on Wednesday.
The Eveleigh also emphasized that it is a gambling-free pub with a specific focus on creating a community atmosphere.
“Both the council and the NSW government continue to claim they support the hospitality industry,” the hotel wrote on its Instagram page.
“We don’t have slots. We don’t have sports on TV. We have lovely customers and we always close the shop at a reasonable hour.’
Hundreds of devoted patrons of the pub and community members said closing the pub would be a huge loss.
‘This is the city of Sydney! Go to the bush if a pub bothers you!” one wrote.
“I feel very lucky to live down the road from the Eveleigh – I like the quiet and friendly neighborhood vibe, great food, no pokies,” said another.
“Stop making an absolute joke to Sydney. Chippendale residents can handle a modest jazz evening early on a Saturday night, “said a third.
‘Saturday jazz at the Eveleigh is one of my favorite things that makes me feel part of my local community!’ someone else wrote.
A fifth person said: ‘I used to live just down the road from the Eveleigh and it must be one of the nicest pubs in Sydney.’
However, the decision was vehemently defended by Sydney City Council.
“The city has recently received several complaints about the Eveleigh Hotel regarding noise pollution from the site,” a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
“As with any other noise or complaint of this nature, the City is reviewing all community health, safety and welfare concerns.
‘After visiting the hotel we found that the noise level for the pub exceeded acceptable standards for a venue.’
The spokesman said the council tried several times to reach an agreement with the pub before enforcing the restrictions.
More than 1,000 people have signed a petition since Wednesday to reintroduce live jazz to The Eveleigh (above)
The Eveleigh (above) ‘fully and utterly rejects’ the council’s findings that it is too noisy and the customers are disruptive
“We made several attempts to resolve the issue with the owner by proposing possible solutions, including moving several dining tables, using felt glides on chair legs, and removing chairs,” they said.
“We then emphasized that noise reduction measures should be taken to continue offering live music.
“We encourage businesses to proactively engage with neighbors to establish an ongoing dialogue and enable prompt action to resolve any complaints.
“Wherever possible, we work with venues to resolve noise or other issues without regulatory action.”