A popular nightclub in Hobart’s historic Salamanca precinct has applied to the City of Hobart to extend its operating hours further into the night.
Botanica Bar, located next to Banjo’s Bakery in Salamanca Square, currently operates as a nightclub until 3am on Fridays and Saturdays, but aims to extend its hours until 5am on those nights.
Most bars and clubs in the area typically close between 2-4 am, with neighbouring venues Brick Factory closing at 3am and Cargo and Grape staying open as late as 4am.
One of Botanica’s main competitors, Muse (formerly known as Observatory Bar or Obar), closes at 5am on Saturday nights.
In addition to extending its hours on weekends, Botanica is also looking for approval to extend its trading hours up to 10 times per year during “holidays and cultural events” outside of Fridays and Saturdays.
Botanica owners argue that extending their closing time would allow patrons to leave the venue gradually, rather than all at once.
“It will allow patrons to naturally leave the venue, rather than Salamanca square being overwhelmed by a large volume of patrons leaving Botanica at 3am and looking for other venues in our area with 5am licenses,” their application read.
“By extending our trading hours we can continue to keep our guests comfortable and safe in their socialising venue of preference.”
A noise and vibration report found that the additional hours would be unlikely to significantly impact nearby residents, hotels or apartments.
Botanica currently abide by strict noise management policies, including turning off outdoor speakers after 10pm and employing a door operator to manage the front entrance after midnight.
Noise policies also include preventing people from using the outdoor area after 12am and keeping any portable PA systems and acoustic instruments inside as far away from the doors and windows as possible.
The City of Hobart reports that they have only received a small number of noise complaints from the Salamanca precinct in the past year, mostly related to music from outdoor speakers.
“There have been no complaints about ‘dance music’ or live bands from nightclubs/pubs in the Salamanca area during the same period,” a council spokesperson said.
The application is currently under assessment and is available for public viewing until May 15.
