A trendy Mexican restaurant in Sydney has been banned from building a small terrace in a public park amid community outrage, despite council approval.
Comedor was welcomed with open arms by residents when it opened in a 100-year-old warehouse at Camperdown Memorial Rest Park in Newtown in July.
But things went wrong when the restaurant began building an eight-seat terrace on a 30-square-metre area in the park, despite having a 12-month agreement with the municipality to operate there.
Neighbors and council members quickly voiced their concerns, arguing that the terrace would “commercialize” the park and contribute to the gentrification of the neighborhood.
On Tuesday morning, the council reversed its decision and ordered Comedor to stop construction on the patio, even though the restaurant had already paid a $5,500 security deposit and an annual rent fee.
Councillor Chloe Smith said formal community consultation would now take place and that ‘no installation or trading would take place until this process was completed’.
“It is clear that there was a major misstep in the process, and I am very pleased that we were able to rectify this quickly,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
Tom Patterson, who lives next door to the restaurant, said the patio “could fill up.”
Comedor was welcomed with open arms by residents when it opened in July in a 100-year-old warehouse on Australia Street in Newtown, in the city’s west-central area.
Locals were divided after the restaurant announced plans to build an eight-seat terrace (pictured) on 30 square metres of Camperdown Memorial Rest Park in Newtown
“There is a huge push to make Sydney more vibrant, and I’m absolutely in favor of that. But Newtown doesn’t need to be more vibrant,” he said.
“It has to be one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in the world. What makes a great community is the contrast.
‘You can have a great nightlife there, and there is a beautiful park.’
Outgoing Inner West councillor Dylan Griffiths said he had expected broad community consultation on the proposed deck.
“I believe this is effectively a privatization of 30m2 of much-used and beloved public space, as it will be used exclusively by a for-profit entity during peak hours. It is an enclosure of the commons,” he wrote on Facebook.
‘Camperdown Park is an important third space for our diverse community, including young people and disadvantaged residents. Not everyone can hang out at home or afford to spend time in the private spaces of Newtown. It is an extremely active park.’
Comedor is a recently opened restaurant in the trendy Newtown area
The deck would take up just 323 sq ft of Camperdown Memorial Park (pictured)
The plans were discussed during a neighborhood forum on Tuesday evening and are on the agenda for next week’s council meeting.
Darcy Byrne, mayor of Inner West Council, said: ‘It is an exaggeration to describe this use of a very small part of the park as “privatisation”.
He added that while there should have been consultation with the community, residents have welcomed new cafes and bars in public spaces since the Covid era.
As part of the previous agreement, the sale and serving of alcohol on deck was prohibited and the volume of music was limited to five decibels above the background music.
The terrace also had to close at 6 p.m. on weekdays and at 8 p.m. on weekends.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Inner West Council and Comedor.
Darcy Byrne (pictured) of Inner West Council said: ‘It is an exaggeration to describe this use of a very small part of the park as “privatisation”.’