The Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood and Yarra Council came to an interim “solution” last night following a dispute over noise levels.
The live music venue was threatened with closure following complaints from local residents over the past year. Noise was also found to be in excess of the Environment Protection Authority's acceptable levels when council officers undertook acoustic testing at the venue earlier this year.
A VCAT meeting had been scheduled for this week but was postponed when emergency talks between The Bendigo staff and councillor Stephen Jolly took place instead.
Posting on The Bendigo's Facebook page after the meeting, owner Guy Palermo wrote: “The meeting went well thanks to Stephen Jolly & Simon Huggins; those 2 legends have made it possible for the VCAT hearing to be stopped - were going in to council as soon as possible & having a round table to work out an interim solution.”
The Bendigo's plight attracted much support on social media, with over 5,700 people signing an e-petition calling for the protection of live music venues in the Yarra area. One signatory, Ian Gray wrote: “The Bendigo Hotel has a long history of supporting local musicians. It is plays an integral part of Melbourne's diverse music culture and should absolutely be preserved as a live music venue”.
