Extended hours denied

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By Alesha Capone

A Tarneit hotel’s bid to extend its opening hours to 3am every day has been quashed by Wyndham council.

The council considered the proposal from Hotel 520, which is located within a commercial complex on the corner of Sayers and Derrimut roads, last week.

The council received 10 objections to the proposal from residents who live near the hotel.

The objections cited concerns such as “unacceptable noise” from the hotel including sound from music and vehicles, “anti-social behaviour of patrons” such as vandalism and “patrons disturbing residents on their properties”.

The council refused the hotel’s request to extend its opening hours on grounds including that it would result in “unacceptable amenity impacts” and “significant adverse social effects”.

Hotel 520’s current opening hours are 9am to 1am, Monday to Wednesday; 9am to 2am from Thursday to Saturday; and 10am to 1am on Sunday.

A council report into the hotel’s proposal said the objections from residents “clearly demonstrate that these residents are suffering amenity impacts, particularly around the current closing times of the venue”.

“In the early hours of the morning the background noise from Sayers Road is significantly reduced and noise from the premises is evidently travelling further and with a much greater relative impact on amenity,” the report said.

The report recommended an investigation into residents’ concerns.

In addition, the council report said that Hotel 520 has 65 electronic gaming machines (EGMs).

The report said that if the hotel was permitted to extend its opening hours to 3am, this would result in 11 extra hours of operation every week.

“Any extension of the operating hours of the venue which also allows the use of EGMs will inevitably only result in increased expenditure on EGMs and liquor at the premises,” the report said.