The five-star QT Hotel in the Hunter Street Mall has applied to open its roof-top bar until midnight, sparking concern from nearby apartment residents.
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The hotel's owner, Iris Capital, the company behind the massive EastEnd mall redevelopment, applied this month to City of Newcastle to extend its trading hours by two hours to midnight every day except Sunday.
The move comes after the Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel imposed a 10pm closing time when it approved the redevelopment of the former David Jones department store in 2020.
"The current condition is to be amended and extended as it restricts the use and operations of the roof-top bar," the hotel's application says.
"The proposed amendments reflect the liquor licence approved by the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority."
The Iris application says the trading changes are "minor" and will have "minimal additional environmental impacts over and above that which has already been assessed as acceptable in the original development application".
It cites an acoustic consultant's report which "demonstrates that the assessment of noise impacts associated with the proposed extension of operating hours for the roof-top bar is found to be compliant with the noise emission guidelines".
A flyer circulating in nearby apartment blocks calls on residents to lodge objections to the application before submissions close on Wednesday.
The flyer says the HCCRPP conditions of consent took into consideration the "many apartments" with bedrooms "in very close proximity" to the open-air bar.
"A maximum of 30 patrons will be allowed in the outdoor area, but 30 people can create a lot of noise which travels at night," the flyer says.
"In any event how can they stop more than 30 people flowing through to the outdoor area?"
The flyer has been distributed in the neighbouring Washington House apartment tower, where the penthouse sold for a Newcastle record of $6 million in 2017.
At Elermore Vale, submissions close on Thursday for Hotel Elermore's application to extend its trading hours.
The pub, formerly known at the Shaft Tavern, applied in 2019 to trade until 4am, but the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority rejected the move.
The hotel applied to ILGA last month to extend its closing time from midnight to 2am from Monday to Wednesday.
The pub already opens to 2am from Thursday to Saturday. It has not applied to change these hours or its 10pm Sunday closing time.
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