'Annandale Mayor' Pushes For 3am License

The Annandale Hotel has been invited to extend its trading hours by Leichhardt Mayor Darcy Byrne after his live music policy was implemented by council last night.

Byrne – who has been dubbed the 'Annandale Mayor' – has been vocal in defence of live music venues, particularly since the iconic Annandale Hotel's owners handed the venue over to receivers.

He told theMusic.com.au this morning that councillors passed the policy unanimously and thanked the nearly 4,000 individuals who signed an online petition in support.

“There's a growing recognition across all political parties and representatives that we need to revive live music before its too late,” he said.

The passed Good Neighbour Policy is an extension of New South Wales Labor's 'Labor Loves Live Music' campaign and it addresses the key aspects of the Agent Of Change principle. That is, giving precedence and protection to existing music venues over and against newer developments.

Byrne has spoken to the venue's receivers, Ferrier Hodgson, and now that the policy is in place has invited them to re-apply for extended trading hours.

“[The receivers] said that the restriction to close the venue at 1am rather than 3am has contributed to the venue's difficulties,” he said.

“It's highly likely that the same handful of residents who have made complaints in the past will oppose any attempt to extend the venue's hours, but I think if we want to make Parramatta Road a live music hub then we need to have these planning controls.”

He said that Ferrier Hodgson expressed strong interest in accepting the invitation to re-lodge an application, which will be “viewed on its merits.”

The Mayor says that to get any benefit out of the policy, “We've got to move in a hurry… Send a message to any potential buyers of the Annandale.”

Byrne's profile has been considerably raised since the Good Neighbour Policy announcement and he has made no secret of his intentions to implement it around the state in other councils.