MORE than 700 locals say it’s blindingly obvious that Dome Cafe in Ardross should be allowed to keep its alfresco blinds.
“Without the blinds this area is completely useless in the winter and nobody will sit there,” owner Luxmy Kumar says.
“On ANZAC Day the wind and rain was lashing customers and they all moved away. There’s room for a least 15 people there, so it’s quite a lot of lost income.”
• Dome Cafe in Ardross. Photo by Stephen Pollock
A petition is doing the rounds after Melville council staff ordered the blinds to go, saying they obstruct drivers’ line of sight at the busy Riseley Street intersection. The blinds were not in the cafe’s November 2014 development application.
Ms Kumar says the awnings and their structure cost more than $10,000 and she pays the council more than $2000 a year to put tables outside.
“I realise the blinds weren’t in the original plans, but it was a genuine oversight, and I’m asking the council to show dispensation and reconsider their decision.”
Council CEO Shayne Silcox says the city is not budging and the matter won’t be referred to the elected members.
by STEPHEN POLLOCK
the argument that it blocks drivers line of sight is generously described as ‘weak’
1) there is no oncoming traffic that this could block the sight of.drivers pulling out of Kearns cres should be looking in the other direction
2) if it the verandas and awnings to the north of the Dome which will actually obstruct drivers line of sight
Whoever is trying to get rid of the awning at Dome just hates dome. I don’t care for Dome, in fact I have not bought a coffee from a Dome for about 20 years