The Imperial Hotel in the Sydney suburb of Erskineville has only two weeks to save itself from a long-term closure order which could force the venue to close for up to six months.
Today, the NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority has granted The Imperial Hotel a two-week extension to state its case in response to a long-term closure order which has been presented by the Office of Liquor, Gaming & Racing (OLGR).
In a statement to Music Feeds, the NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority says The Imperial Hotel now has until 11th August 2015 to lodge any submissions against the closure order.
The two week extension comes after the venue’s owner Shadd Danesi, who has now taken possession of the property from the lessees, agreed that the hotel’s liquor licence will be put on voluntary suspension during the two-week period.
In a statement posted to Facebook (below), The Imperial Hotel says that while the hotel is allowed to reopen, Mr Danesi “has elected to keep it closed for 2-4 weeks to establish a business plan to move forward and return the old girl to her former glory”.
If Mr Danesi wants to reopen the venue at some point, he cannot do so without giving authorities seven days’ notice.
OLGR lodged its long-term closure order against The Imperial Hotel on 17th July. If the closure order is successful, the venue would be forced to close for up to six months while a disciplinary complaint is considered by the NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority, or until certain trading restrictions are introduced.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that The Imperial Hotel’s latest tenants Spice Group International have been booted from the venue, while some social media users have alleged that the venue’s staff members are being laid off.
The Imperial Hotel was given a 72-hour closure order last week, with NSW Police saying the ban was due to “breaches of the Liquor Act”. The hotel has remained closed since then.
Catch The Imperial Hotel’s full statement, below.
