Claremont councillors deny small bar

A plan for a small bar in Claremont devised by John Poynton, Adrian Fini and The Wine Store’s Robert Bates-Smith has hit a hurdle, with local councillors rejecting the initial proposal.

But the partners are determined to win the Town of Claremont over and are open to lodging an appeal.

Mr Bates-Smith pitched the concept for the Asado small bar on St Quentin Avenue last week, which was greeted with opposition from local residents.

The complaints ranged from concerns over the noise of patrons at the venue to car doors slamming, as well as claims it would increase anti-social behaviour.

It resulted in four councillors - including the Mayor Jock Barker - voting against the proposal while three voted in favour.

Mr Bates-Smith told Business News he was seeking clarification about whether that result was a definitive rejection, or whether they could proceed with the plan provided amendments were made.

But he said if it was a rejection, he would be lodging an appeal against the decision.

“Really what came out of [the meeting] were concerns over noise. However the council can’t push back on noise because the acoustic report is fully compliant,” Mr Bates-Smith said.

Mr Bates-Smith has been running The Wine Store for four years and said suburbs such as Leederville and Mount Lawley had been looked at for the new venture, but Claremont was the preference.

“The offering in Claremont is quite limited - there are no small bars trading there at the moment and considering the density of Claremont that’s unusual,” he said.

Mr Bates-Smith said the Claremont precinct was zoned for commercial use, but the growth of residential living in the area had damped the progress of commercial development.