NIMBYs win as Geelong pub forced to turn its beer garden into a carpark

The Deck in Geelong has lost its fight to keep its beer garden open after noise complaints from residents in a nearby apartment complex.

The 164-year-old pub has accepted a City of Greater Geelong consent order, and will now convert its beer garden into carparking after a bitter battle with local residents who complained about the noise despite their apartment block being built next to the pub some two decades after the al fresco drinking space.

The residents were led by the former owner of The Deck, Paul Brady, who told the Geelong Advertiser that they weren’t “party poopers”.

“Because I never had music in there, no amplified music, nothing amplified in there,” he told the Geelong Advertiser. “You put a bunch of university kids in there and when they’re going ‘skol, skol skol’, and ‘happy birthday’ and one in the morning and all that sort of crap … the noise is ridiculous.”

City of Greater Geelong Planning, Design and Development Director Gareth Smith told the Geelong Advertiser that The Deck operators were operating the beer garden without planning approval.

“By signing these consent orders, The Deck operators are agreeing that this breach was causing a detriment to the amenity of the area, particularly for residents living in nearby apartments,” he said.

Company director George Zurcas had previously expressed both his disappointment and amazement that the council had taken action despite earlier approving the apartment block being built next to the venue.

“I have no comment on what Geelong City Council has put my company through, I wish that I never bought a business in Geelong as we are against unlimited rate payers funding,” Zurcas told the Geelong Advertiser.

Sheridan Randall, 19^th November 2019