m8iteaho

*

2012: Bayside Council approves application
for a liquor licence for Ricketts Point Tea House.
BCS Inc. wrote

to Council stating its case against a
licence, which had been rejected at 2 earlier
attempts below.

*

2007: Bayside Leader report on 2007-09-04 about the
latest rejection of attempts to apply for a liquor
licence, and to extend trading hours at the Ricketts
Point Tea House.

*

2007: Bayside

Council meeting adopted the
recommendation of Item 4.6 below to not
agree to allowing the Tea House tenant to apply for
a liquor licence or extended hours.

that the Tea House lessee should not
apply for the liquor licence described below.

4.6 RICKETTS POINT TEAHOUSE –
APPLICATION FOR LIQUOR LICENSE
It is recorded that Mr Ronald Morris, Ms Kerry
Smith, Mr Russell Hellier, Ms Janet Ablitt, Mr Ted
Kempster & Mr Renato Poci spoke for three
minutes in relation to this matter.

Moved Cr Norris Seconded Cr O’Brien,
“That Council not agree to allow the tenant of the
Ricketts Point Teahouse to apply for a liquor
licence and that Council does not agree to extend
the current trading hours.”

The MOTION was PUT and a divISION
called.

divISION:  FOR        
     Crs O’Brien, Wilson, Stegley,
Norris & Hayes (5)
       
          
AGAINST     Crs del Porto, Long,
Knight & McLorinan (4)        
    CARRIED

*

2007: Staff report to Bayside City
Council – Section 4.6 of the Agenda

for the BCC General Committee meeting
on 2007-08-21 points to increased rental fees
for Council, and states,
“The Bayside Tourism Strategy highlights the need
to develop and promote
beachside and foreshore dining in order to
successfully market Bayside for its food and
beverage industry. The
Strategy also identifies the potential for a significant

growth in Bayside’s food and beverage
industry by capitalizing on
Bayside’s beachside location. It is considered
that the tenant’s proposal will attract many
additional tourists and residents to the
municipality and is consistent with the objectives
of the Strategy.”
 
Sadly, this report places little stress on how this
tawdry capitalizing compares to tarnishing
the adjacent State Marine Sanctuary, specifically
listed in the National Parks Act.

In Victoria, areas under that Act are not right next
to licensed liquor cafes. The margin of the Marine
Sanctuary deserves a much less commercial ambience.
The report finally states,
 
“STAFF RECOMMENDATION That Council agree to
allow the tenant of the Ricketts Point Teahouse to
apply for a restricted liquor licence from 11am to
3 pm, seven days a week and that Council does not
agree to extend the current trading hours.“

Beaumaris
Conservation Society Inc. opposes any breakdown in
the understanding now that the Tea House would not
gradually become a licensed cafe, as the above plan
proposes.

*

Government Response to Environment
Assessment Council Recommendation

R37 is to incorporate in the
Victorian Coastal Strategy a requirement for
limited, if any, visitor facilities in Coastal
Protection Zones, one of which the EAC Map A
identifies as the foreshore reserve land adjacent to
the Ricketts Point Marine Sanctuary.

*

2006: Proposals
for:

• a liquor licence (despite earlier rejection, when
  assurances were given that the Tea House would be
  a “Tea House” only) and
  
• an extension of trading to midnight,
  are opposed by letter from Beaumaris
  Conservation Society Inc, by
  Friends of Ricketts Point Landside Reserve, letter from Port Phillip
  Conservation Council Inc, &
  nearby residents

*

Have operators of the
Tea House taken on the role of proponents
of changes to the scale, nature, purpose and
style of the Tea House rather than primarily
pursuing goals that elected Councils have
determined for it? Relentless expansion, this 2002 sign, and its web

promotion as a Cafe, suggest that its
operators promote much more than a Tea House,
despite the Council sign still there in 2006.

*

  2002: Proposal
to extend the Ricketts Point Tea House by making the
upper storey larger, and adding a
  balcony, was opposed but approved. Click on
link for letter with photograph.

*

1986: Proposal

in 1986 to extend the new Ricketts
Point Tea House, after only 6 months’ operation, was
approved, but the BYO liquor licence sought
was rejected by the Council.

*

1982, 1983
and 1984 BCS
Inc. Annual General Meetings considered Sandringham
Council’s proposal to rebuild the recently
burnt-down Ricketts Point Tea House.

*

1951: Aerial

view of Beaumaris shows the original
one-storey pre-war Tea House at Ricketts Point. Zoom
in at 400% to see former screening trees
and smaller footprint.