Police are trying to get strict new conditions put on Solotel’s Marlborough Hotel in Newtown despite the objections of City of Sydney councillors, arguing an excess of alcohol-related incidents.
Located on a major corner of the King Street entertainment precinct, the large-format The Marlborough, aka The Marly, was established in 1860. Family-owned group Solotel bought it from Riversdale in early 2017.
Inner West local area command has proposed tougher conditions for the Hotel, in September petitioning the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority (ILGA) that changes be applied to the hotel’s liquor licence. The police cited “ongoing compliance” issues that have led to a “significant risk” to public safety.
Their submission claimed 93 reported incidents at or near the pub during the past five years, involving sexual assault, drink-spiking, offensive behaviour, assault, and hindering or assaulting police, said to have been perpetrated by people who had recently exited the venue.
It was acknowledged that Solotel had introduced measures such as body-cams for security and relocation of the main entrance, but this was considered insufficient in the wake of undesirable behaviour.
NSW Police are proposing:
- A facial recognition system, to operate across the venue, every day after 9pm
- Alcohol restrictions after midnight and more RSA (responsible service of alcohol) marshals
- Uniformed security guards to monitor key areas after 10pm
- Limiting the dance floor capacity to one person per square metre
This development comes as the NSW government strives to resurrect Sydney and the state’s night-life through its ‘vibrancy reforms’ that streamline processes for live music and entertainment venues.
Earlier this month came announcement of the State of the Night report and news of more SEP trials, along with the axing of the last of the dreaded ‘lockout laws’.
City of Sydney Council sees the Marly conditions as heavy-handed and counterproductive to fostering the night-time resurgence.
Its draft submission opposes the changes, describing the Hotel as “well-managed” and suggesting data submitted by police was misleading, given 40 of the 93 incidents alleged either did not proceed or were withdrawn.
Incident data from last year showed the number of events reported by police fell 72 per cent since 2023, and the Hotel had refused entry to over 1,800 people.
The CoS submission also sees facial recognition technology as an “extraordinary intrusion” into personal privacy that it thinks will have a major effect on patronage, adding to the overall burden of the conditions and potentially rendering it “commercially unviable for late-night entertainment”.
The Marly is a voluminous cultural institution of a pub, regularly seeing over 1k people in a night and typically the latest trading venue in the precinct offering entertainment.
On Monday night Councillors debate their submission, planning to urge ILGA to reject the application.
Deputy Mayor Jess Miller is one of those who will oppose the new conditions, describing them as “worse than the lockouts” and saying the police data fails to reflect the proactive measures the venue takes to manage patrons.
She is said to have the support of most CoS councillors, declaring the conditions signify “a major step backwards” in the revival of the 24-hour economy, undermining the work of both CoS and the state government to achieve the right balance of vibrancy and safety.
Music and Night-time Economy Minister John Graham offered that progress “cannot come at the expense of safety” and processes now allow curtailing individual venues, rather than applying blanket measures such as the lockout laws.
ILGA will consider submissions before ruling on the police application.
Solotel declined to comment on the matter under consideration.
