Cambridge council planning officers have recommended that plans to transform the car park of popular West Leederville pub JB O'Reilly’s into a sprawling new alfresco beer garden be refused. The State’s peak planning body is scheduled to decide on the controversial $2.5 million proposal next week.
Proposal Details
The venue’s operators aim to extend its beer garden into the existing car park, which would more than double the Irish tavern’s patron capacity from 278 to 570 people. While town planning officers believe the project could activate the streetscape, they ultimately recommended the application be refused. Their report stated that the scale of the expansion would not fit into the surrounding residential area.
“The recommendation for refusal does not arise from opposition to the land use in principle,” the report said. “But from the scale and operational intensity of the proposal as presently configured.”
Alternative Approval Conditions
The town’s agenda papers also include an alternative approval recommendation with dozens of proposed operating conditions that could be applied if the Metro Inner Development Assessment Panel decides to back the project instead. These include stricter conditions on patron limits, noise management, pick-up and drop-off zones, acoustic monitoring, and limiting outdoor operations after 10pm.
The plans, submitted by developing group Urbis, seek to redevelop the venue’s existing at-grade car park into a permanent covered alfresco area with extra seating, a new outdoor bar, and expanded hospitality spaces fronting Cambridge Street. Under the proposal, all 18 on-site customer bays would be removed and replaced with additional hospitality space, leaving just one staff bay retained at neighbouring 17 Kerr Street.
Community Response
The application attracted strong community interest during public advertising. The town received 45 submissions about it, including 35 objections. The main issues related to concerns about traffic, anti-social behaviour, noise, and the intensity of the expanded venue.
The Metro Inner Development Assessment Panel is expected to decide on the application later this month.
