Factory calls for support
The Oxford Art Factory has called on its fans to write to Sydney Council in support of its two development applications.
The iconic live music venue wants to be able to provide entertainment during the day and end the trial period on its operating hours that has been in place since 2007. Currently the venue is restricted from providing entertainment between 11am and 6pm.
Oxford Art Factory general manager and licensee Mark Gerber wants to open the venue to all-ages shows during the day and a range of activities from film and television shoots to corporate functions.
“As a business we simply cannot afford the same level of access on a Saturday or Friday night free of charge and open age,” Gerber said.
Gerber believes some residents had misattributed problems on the strip to patrons, forgetting there were three licensed venues adjacent to it.
“It has been levelled at us by residents that patrons of the OAF block the Oxford St footpath all night, stagger drunkenly on to the road, fight and leave the strip in a mess of vomit and rubbish. Anyone of you who has attended our venue knows this is simply not true,” said Gerber.
He thought others believed the venue wanted to start operating as a nightclub.
Gerber encourages fans of the venue to write to councillors as well as council’s assessing officer, Anthea Kalodikis.
