Residents look to block Parramatta restaurant’s push to extend trading hours
A group residents from a Parramatta apartment complex are objecting to a Lebanese restaurant’s plans to extend trading hours to midnight in their building.
Controversial developer Jean Nassif is behind the Toplace apartment complex and is also the landlord of the On Sunset Lebanese restaurant.
A 196-signature petition by residents citing noise concerns has been handed in to Parramatta Council.
Opening in 2018, the 150-seat restaurant currently trades from 9am to 11pm on Sunday, 5-11pm Monday to Wednesday and noon to 11pm on Friday.
In a letter submitted to the council it was claimed the On Sunset restaurant “has hindered the quality of life for children, elderly and the community by excessive noise levels, hazardous air quality (from smoking Shisha) and patrons exploiting the residential parking and surrounding streets’’.
But the restaurant argues that customer demand is behind the move to extend its trading hours to midnight.
“To try and ask people to leave after 10pm after 1 ½ or two hours of dining is hard,’’ On Sunset director Simon Tayounsaid told the Daily Telegraph.
“It’s that domino effect when, if you’re moving 60 people at once at 10pm, of course they’re going to cause noise, of course they’re going to linger. It’s like our hands are tied.’’
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Cr Benjamin Barrak said rejecting the restaurant’s request was “setting them up for failure”.
“And I sympathise with the residents but if people choose to live in a CBD, or on the fringe of the CBD in this instance, then a certain degree of noise is to be expected,” he said.
Sheridan Randall, 15th January 2020
