Footscray will get its first rooftop bar after plans were backed for approval by Maribyrnong Council.
The proposal for a rooftop bar at Back Alley Sally’s, the former T-shirt factory that has been operating as a bar in Yewers Street since the start of this year, was unanimously approved at Tuesday night’s Maribyrnong council planning meeting.
The council also approved extending Friday and Saturday closing times from 11pm to 1am and increasing the number of patrons permitted at the venue from 100 to 157.
The plans received five letters of support from surrounding businesses and residents. But 13 objections were lodged on grounds relating to parking and noise impacts to surrounding residents.
Objectors speaking at Tuesday night’s council meeting raised concerns about the potential for excessive noise from the rooftop bar and the later closing hours creating more disturbance later into the night.
Back Alley Sally’s was approved last November after the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal found it would add “interest and vitality” to the area, the balance between its adverse amenity impacts and the planning scheme’s support of the proposal falling “heavily in favour of the bar”.
A council officer report on the latest proposal notes there have been no complaints raised or investigated since the bar opened early this year.
“The amendments have strong policy support given the site’s location within the Riverside precinct of the Activity Centre Zone which encourages a mixture of uses,” the report states.
“It is recommended the amendments be supported subject to additional acoustic control for the roof top and limiting the hours of the roof top bar.”
It is proposed the rooftop bar hours be 11am to 10pm daily and that it has capacity of 100 people, “which is considered to strike an appropriate balance between the site and surrounding land uses.”
The report says the proposed amendments to hours and patron numbers will not impact upon the amenity of the area and that other late night venues are “sufficiently dispersed”.
Applicant Jo Harvey was last month granted approval to establish a function centre in a neighbouring warehouse at 38-40 Moreland Street.
She told the council meeting she was keen to work with neighbours on any concerns they may have about the rooftop bar and expanded hours.
“I feel we have injected life into Yewers Street,” she said.
“There has been a huge amount of buzz in the media and in the local community as well.”
Plans have also been lodged for a rooftop bar and deck at Littlefoot Bar in Barkly Street.
