Extending the trading hours of a Newcastle nightclub would likely "contribute to further alcohol-related harm and negative health outcomes", Hunter New England Health has said in a submission to council.
The local health district has objected to Finnegan's Hotel's application to trade until 4am on Friday and Saturday nights, nights before public holidays and six annual "event days".
The nightclub is approved to trade until 2.30am on the subject days but the owner is attempting to take advantage of the city's year-long trial of relaxed liquor restrictions. Drink service currently ceases half-hour before closure, a licence condition to be maintained under the extended trading proposal.
Finnegan's Hotel has benefited from the trial's removal of lockout times and limits on the types of drinks sold, but it won't gain any additional operating hours without modifying its development approval. The hotel says it is at a "significant disadvantage" to other venues which can trade later.
The development modification was lodged with City of Newcastle in late June and exhibited in July. Six submissions were received.
Hunter New England Population Health said it did "not support" the extension as it would be "likely to contribute to further alcohol-related harm and negative health outcomes for the local community of Newcastle, as well as the wider community".
It highlighted how the venue had been identified as "high-risk" as part of the state's Most Violent Venues Scheme, although the venue had not been in that category for several years before the scheme was abandoned.
The health district said the venue was: in a council area with "existing markedly higher levels of alcohol-related harm compared to NSW", "within current hotspots for assaults and malicious damage to property", and "in an area with ... high density of licensed premises".
"These are all factors strongly associated with a higher risk of being associated with alcohol-related harm, and hence the approval of this application is likely to add to the existing excessive occurrence of harms in Newcastle," it said.
The submission noted the proposed additional trading hours were in a "critical time period for alcohol-related violence and crimes", citing research that reported "for each hour of additional licensed premises trading, an increase in alcohol-related harms of up to 20% can be expected". It also highlighted how the Newcastle trading restrictions introduced in 2008 had led to a 30 per cent reduction in police-attended non-domestic assaults.
"Thus, based on such international and local evidence the proposed increase in hours is likely to significantly increase rates of alcohol-related harms for the Newcastle community, especially non-domestic assaults," the submission said.
The health district's submission is similar to the one it submitted regarding King Street Hotel's expansion, which the elected council approved in April.
Finnegan's development modification will be determined by staff unless it is called up by councillors for determination at a meeting.
