A restaurant battling to stay afloat after going into voluntary administration had been blocked by the local council from extending its opening hours.
The Orchard, billed as ‘western Sydney’s most memorable venue’, is a restaurant, café and garden bar in Penrith, about 60km from the city’s CBD.
Last month it eannounced that it had gone into voluntary administration, though it remained open for business.
On Thursday it emerged the venue had lodged an application in June 2023 to extend its closing time from 5pm to 10pm to enable it to open for dinner, and increase the cap on patrons from 200 to 300.
But Penrith Council knocked back the request, according to the Daily Telegraph.
One submission during the public exhibition period raised concerns about the impact the evening noise would have on the surrounding area – including a retirement village.
‘The application has not demonstrated that noise impacts arising from extended hours and increased patron capacity can be mitigated,’ the council’s assessment report said.
‘The proposal is not considered to be in the public interest as it has not been demonstrated that adverse noise impacts on surrounding land uses will not arise from the modified development.
The Orchard, billed as ‘western Sydney’s most memorable venue’, is a restaurant, café and garden bar in Penrith, about 60km from the city’s CBD
‘Therefore, the modified proposal is not worthy of support and the modification application is recommended for refusal.’
The council had previously touted the Orchard on its website as a shining example of Penrith’s hospitality industry.
‘Penrith’s dining scene has been undergoing a delightful transformation of late, with the new establishment, The Orchard, emerging as a vibrant hub for foodies,’ it said.
The restaurant’s owners thanked the local community as they went into administration.
‘We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Penrith community and hope to remain a venue where you can celebrate your special occasions for many years to come,’ The Orchard said in a statement.
‘It is very much business as usual. Rest assured, we will keep everyone informed as we move forward through this process.’
Administrator Graeme Beattie from insolvency firm Worrells described The Orchard as ‘one of Western Sydney’s premier hospitality venues’.
‘This decision comes after a period of challenging market conditions, including rising operational costs, changing consumer behaviour, and reduced discretionary spending, which have all contributed to an unsustainable financial position,’ he said.
Mr Beattie said he was undertaking an ‘urgent financial analysis’ of the company.
‘Whilst the administration is in its infancy, I intend to trade the company’s business on a business-as-usual basis,’ he said.
Fedlallah Hallani, a director of FRM Café Pty Ltd which trades as The Orchard Penrith, said it had been ‘an incredibly difficult process’.
‘During the administration, we will work closely with the Mr Beattie and the team at Worrells to ensure the best possible outcome for all stakeholders,’ he said.
‘Whilst this is a challenging time, we remain committed to exploring all options to ensure the future of the business.‘
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