Newcastle Surf Life Saving Club has applied to expand its liquor licence onto public land in front of its clubhouse.
A development application lodged with Newcastle council seeks to use the existing bar and outdoor area for "community fundraising functions" 52 times a year.
It proposes to expand the club's on-premises liquor licence to cover 140 square metres of grassed and paved area in front of the club.
"Due to its relatively isolated location at the southern end of the Beach Pavilion behind the lifeguard tower, this area is not extensively used by members of the public," the DA says.
Club president Brad Kinniard said on Thursday that the application was designed to ensure the club could "occupy and utilise as much available space as possible, in accordance with the relevant legal and regulatory frameworks".
"This will put us on an even footing with those external events we welcome to our beach each year, such as the Nudie Australian Boardriders Battle, and is part of a broader tranche of measures designed to facilitate our capacity to provide our core services while we await new facilities," he said.
He said the club's facilities were "woefully inadequate" but a mooted redevelopment of the pavilion looked some way off.
"We are heartened to see this project is progressing, with work commencing at South Newcastle shortly, but are aware that there is still no funding for the redevelopment of our clubhouse or surrounding facilities."
The renewed liquor licence would run to 10pm, or midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, though the club says it does not plan to change its 10pm closing time on weekends.
The DA says the club has long held a liquor licence but "there appears to be no formal approval to use the club for community fundraising functions although there is clear evidence to suggest that it has been used for this purpose since the early 1980s".
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