Imperial opening date set

Imperial opening date set

The Imperial Hotel will be open by the end of November, owner Shadd Danesi has guaranteed — irrespective of the outcome of his court case against the City of Sydney.
Residents, City of Sydney representatives and officials from the Land and Environment Court met with Danesi yesterday morning at the Erskineville pub site to discuss its future.
Danesi has for months been petitioning for the council to increase his capacity limit from 442 to 788 patrons.
The Land and Environment Court will now deliberate on the matter, but Danesi has said the venue will have to open soon, irrespective of the verdict.
“I’m hoping now to open up in late October, but probably early November. Regardless of the court case, I’ve got to open up,” he told Sydney Star Observer.
“I can’t leave it shut, so if I lose I’ll just have to accept the numbers and see what happens in the future.
“The court case is only about numbers, but if I lose, it’s going to be a shame, not only from my point of view, but our patrons because they’ll have to wait outside.
“The building works are just fine tuning, and the main thing is just the electricity supply, but I’ve got to turn my attention to the staffing — who’s going to run this pub, the entertainment side of the hotel, and that’s going to take me at least three to four weeks to organise.”
The meeting came as the gay and lesbian community loses a raft of other venues. The Flinders has been sold to a group of buyers who are expected to close the venue for renovations. The Midnight Shift has also closed its upstairs section for a series of rennovations, and the owners of the Clarence last week announced an end to Manacle.

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19 responses to “Imperial opening date set”

  1. Thank God I’m sitting down and reading this…although I’ll believe it more when I’m actually sat in the Imperial

    Lets hope Oxford St now deceides to up it’s game now there is a bit of choice in where to go…

    I will support both Oxford St & The Imperial and hope that they will offer everyone a choice of venues, music, clientele etc….

    I hope they work with the community rather than trying to divide it further by stealing all the gay trade thats left…

    But then what trade is left? They are all either chasing each other on the net or in a sauna….

    What ever happened to a trashy night out looking through beer goggles and finding love at first sight??

    Long Live the Scene! Your Discos need you!

  2. i am interested to know if the new owners will be charging people to get in – cover charges wont be a good idea, no matter the amount of people let in!

  3. November… this year? I was going to the Imperial at the ripe old age of 15, and though i love the place… i can’t see hundreds of people lining up just to get in. I mean, just open the place back up and stop clinging in desperation to some magical number that you are not going to get.

    Also… don’t forget the fickle nature of the gay scene. The ‘new and improved’ Imperial may not appeal to all, and you may be left with no lines whatsoever…

    Waiting in hope… lol

  4. This is GREAT news!! I cant wait! I do have to say that I hope it is opening this time – theres been so many times where they have announced it opening etc.

  5. If you people don’t like it, I wouldn’t mind a full-time gay venue here in Katoomba.

    We do have Drag-O-Rama, which is a fabulous night, at the Gearin, but sadly it’s only once every three months.

  6. I am pretty sure those whingers across the road are renters. I have also lived close by to the Imperial and we were never disrupted by noise or by patrons for that matter. Let us hope this revised, revised, revised (sorry I have lost count) date for opening will go ahead !!

  7. things are looking up at last
    lets get behind the imperial and support it all the way
    if venues don’t survive it’s our fault for not supporting them.

  8. I’ve seen inside : pretty good. Hey Shadd please repaint the front though, it still looks daggy…as for the stiletto : who cares, just get the kegs running ! then we’ll never have to go to Oxford Street again … Erko/Newie rocks !!!

  9. About bloody time ….. can’t wait
    The new Imperial could easily be the death knell of Oxford St – or the rebirth of queer nightlife in the inner west!
    Bring it On!

  10. Looking forward to the return of the old girl – it has been a looooooong time between drinks!
    And from what I hear, the interior is truly a spectacle to behold!

  11. screw the council…just open up and we’ll wait outside. You’ll see how quickly they increase the capacity when there’s over a hundred of us waiting outside.

    We really need to stand up to the council and support our local businesses instead of sitting at home complaining all the time!

  12. I hope that Shadd making this statement, that he will open regardless of the outcome of the court hearing, doesn’t impact on the court’s decision… “If he’s going to accept a smaller capacity and open up anyway, then let’s just let him do that…”

  13. hurray!

    it’s still a crime against the city that the Council didn’t give them permission to display the Priscilla shoe on top of the entrance.

    what an icon and what a shameful missed opportunity…

    but congrats on getting the pub open. who knew even that would be such a bureaucratic challenge? when people are willing to invest big money in this economic environment, the councils should probably support the commerce!