A dispute that has rocked an exclusive suburb on Sydney’s northern beaches for months has taken a dramatic twist with the sudden exit of one of its participants.
Stephen Jones successfully blocked The Joey in Palm Beach, the billionaire’s row retreat on the tip of the northern beaches, from operating later opening hours.
He was one of just seven angry locals in one of ‘s wealthiest suburbs who said the noise of people eating at a restaurant 600metres and an entire golf course away would wreck their peace and quiet.
But now Mr Jones has upped sticks and left, with records showing that he and his wife Susan have sold their house for a tidy $9.5million, the Sun-Herald reported.
Word on the ground in Palmy – which is more famous around the world as being the location of Summer Bay in TV soap Home and Away – is that the Jones’ have moved 4.5km south to Avalon Beach.
In the midst of a rancorous dispute worthy of one of Home and Away’s wildest plots, more than 130 locals supported the plan to extend the restaurant’s opening hours to 11pm each night, from the current 7am-4pm daily and 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays during daylight saving time.
Co-owners Ben May and Rob Domjen spent $7million revamping the famous cafe which regularly features in the Channel Seven show.
They rebranded the isolated boatshed as The Joey Dining Room and Bar, and applied to Northern Beaches Council to extend its opening hours.
While 132 locals submitted letters of support, just seven locals objected, causing the council to block the request.
Financial adviser Mr Jones led the revolt against the application, saying it was ‘totally unreasonable’ and would cause his family unbearable anxiety.
He said he had lived in the area for 22 years and the late opening would cause ‘significant adverse noise impacts’ on its neighbours 600m away on the other side of the nine-hole golf course.
‘I object … due to a significant increase in the duration of loud music and particularly the deep bass beat effects that reverberates from the venue and can be heard from inside our house,’ Mr Jones said in a submission to the council.
‘This loud music and deep bass beat significantly effects our amenity and well-being. Music, plus patron noise can be heard within my bedroom.
‘It is totally unreasonable for the nearby residents to have to suffer from noise issues from this venue operating seven days per week.’
Mr Jones said a wedding held on March 9 at The Joey until 10pm resulted in him hearing an ‘extremely high level of noise’, including the chatter of patrons.
‘It caused a serious amount of anxiety to my family,’ he said.
‘I contacted the operator on numerous occasions to request they turn down the music and turn down the bass beat and change the style of music to one with NO bass beat.’
But he said ‘The operator made no attempt to turn down the music or the bass beat all night and in fact was quite rude with his response.’
Mr Jones claimed wedding guests were still outside the venue long after the wedding had ended.
‘Drunken patrons wrestling and fighting outside the venue. This is potentially what we are going to have to deal with seven nights a week until 11pm,’ he said.
Co-owner Mr May lodged an application with the Land Environment Court to have the local council’s decision overturned.
‘It’s a little ridiculous, isn’t it? I mean, there’s a golf course between us and these people and they’ve found reason to have a problem with it,’ he told The Today Show.
‘This is seriously three or four people ruining it for thousands. The whole of the northern beaches would have been able to enjoy this space.’
Mr Jones had previously objected to the Boatshed being able to open later on Fridays and Saturdays during daylight saving time.
In his objection from July 2021, which was not successful, he said bands shouldn’t be allowed to play on the outdoor deck, which also should be off limits for patrons due to noise issues.
He also objected to the windows of the venue being kept open during functions at night.
Mr May and Mr Domjen had wanted to transform the cafe into a place where locals could enjoy watching the sunset over a glass of wine and plate of fresh seafood.
With the chief objector, Mr Jones, now out of the picture, they will be hoping for a better result when the Land and Environment Court hands down its decision, which is expected within weeks.
If the Joey – which is named after the local Barrenjoey Headland – can get a reprieve, it will go some way to it making back the estimated $150,000 the restaurateurs have already paid in legal and consultancy fees.
Daily Mail has contacted Mr May and Mr Domjen for comment.