94-96 Union Street Pyrmont NSW 2009

We are strongly against this proposal as;
1. we do not need more potential intoxicated individuals making extremely loud noises late at night
2. we do not need any more violence in the neighbourhood (more alcohol can provoke violence)
3. can drinks and 'light meals' aka 'snacks'(website) really be considered 'outside dining' and not outside drinking
4. if there are more issues= not a good reputation for the area as well (consider what this area is trying to achieve after building new facilities like ICC, sofitel, and so on)

This is clearly not beneficial for the safety of all residents, guests and the environment.

We live in close proximity to the pub and strongly oppose this proposal.

The reasons are as follows:

1. Since the lock out laws, our neighbourhood of Pyrmont has turned into an extremely noisy place with lots of intoxicated people wandering the streets and screaming profanities at all hours of the night, into the early hours of the morning. The Pyrmont Bridge Hotel (“PBH”), being a 24 hour pub has greatly benefited from the lock out laws and has gained an incredible amount of business from a crowd that no other establishment would gladly welcome. If anything, they, it seems are trying to encourage loud, intoxicated people to visit their premises with establishing an outside drinking area for even longer hours. This will mean, even during the week we shall have drunk, disorderly people screaming and singing outside our bedroom windows until midnight. The only days we don’t have extreme noise is Monday - Wednesday, and even those evenings of peace and quiet are not often recoverable (i.e. when drunk people from the PBH sit on the balcony and sing karaoke songs at the top of their lungs on a Tuesday night, at 11pm). We have children who live in our apartment building and the environment that Pyrmont has turned into is becoming appalling and disruptive to our right to have peaceful dwelling.

2. The Star casino, next door, has experienced a surge in alcohol fuelled violence and the outside seating area of the PBH which encourages people to sit outside and drink on EVERY night of the week until midnight is only asking for people to continue to engage in disorderly behaviour. At least now, even with the pub being 24 hours, the noise is contained once the outside tables are removed. The same people who frequent the Star visit the PBH as the two venues are in such close proximity - we don’t want intoxication infused violence outside our bedroom windows every night of the week! The outside tables operating until midnight every night, would only encourage other intoxicated passers by to engage in potentially violent activity.

3. Every day walking past the outdoor seating of the PBH, the bouncers and the patrons engage in behaviour which is not socially acceptable - i.e.. wolf whistling, smiling and winking. As a woman, I feel grossly affected by the type of men who sit in those outside areas and continue to engage in this unacceptable behaviour. More of this kind of allocated outdoor area into the late hours of the night will mean that more women walking past will get ‘harassed’ by the patrons of this hotel. I strongly condone this behaviour and see it as a very important reason not to extend the hours of outdoor seating for this pub.

4. From point 1 above, the PBH has greatly benefited from the surge of people visiting the venue through all hours as they remain one of the few venues not affected by the lockout laws. They have done nothing for the community of Pyrmont and the now affluent area of Darling Harbour, but devalue the image of this area. The new development of the ICC - where the ASEAN conference is currently held and the building of the 5 star hotels, encourages a more affluent type of persons such as Foreign delegates, Ministers and Politicians to visit this area. The PBH does not do anything for the image of Sydney but provide a rude shock of seeing rough, intoxicated, middle aged men (in the majority), wolf whistling at women and screaming out profanities. I don’t understand how this image would bring a positive light on Sydney city in general.

5. One should come and inspect the street corner outside the PBH and outside our front door after every Friday and Saturday night to understand the remnants of the disgusting behaviour of the people who frequent the PBH and the surrounding venues. Piles of rubbish, pizza boxes thrown around, rubbish bins overflowing and vomit and pee on the streets. This degradation of our community needs to be re-assessed in the light of all the factors I’ve displayed here. This is an affluent area which needs urgent council attention and expanding the outdoor seating of a pub that attracts disorderly and disruptive, drunkenly behaviour is not an action which would be favourable in the light of the present circumstances.