School says new hours not welcome

By Yvonne Gardiner

RESIDENTS' complaints about noise and anti-social behaviour have caused Ipswich City Council to lodge a strong objection to extended opening hours for the Hotel Metropole at the Top of Town.

Inner-city Councillor Andrew Antoniolli said he received at least a dozen complaints about the noise from the hotel beer garden and loud music from the nightclub.

"NEARBY residents have been suffering with it up til 3am," Cr Antoniolli said.

"They're alarmed and extremely worried about it being increased to 5am."

Ipswich Grammar School headmaster Denis Frederiksen said the school would not welcome extended hotel hours.

"On the weekends especially, there's the noise factor and there's the 'exit' factor when the pubs shut," Mr Frederiksen said.

"Anything at all that disturbs the peace around these precincts where there are children and boarding families, we need to be careful of.

"We need to have a home here for our boarding students. We have up to 100 boys who live here."

Mr Frederiksen said security had been stepped up on Friday and Saturday nights.

"People can take shortcuts across the school grounds," he said.

"We have fenced the whole grounds."

A spokesperson for the State Government's Liquor Licensing branch said it had not received any formal objections to the Hotel Metropole's application for extended hours.

The cut-off date for objections is June 19.

Hotel Metropole management was invited to comment on the licensing issue yesterday.

They said it was "too premature" to comment.

Council's Planning and Development Committee chairman Paul Tully said the hotel's current operating hours were Monday to Saturday from 10am to 3am, and Sundays from 10am to midnight.

The hotel has applied to extend its hours to 10am to 5am every day.

Do you think the Hotel Metropole should be allowed to trade until 5am every day?

Let the QT know by calling 3817 1742 or email qt@qt.com.au.