Barrenjoey Swim School, a backyard swim school on Patrick Street in Avalon that was served with a notice of closure over a noise and traffic congestion complaint, has been offered a reprieve.
Barrenjoey Swim School is a home business owned and operated by Damian and Lucie Geyle and has been operating for more than ten years now. The backyard swim school was ordered by the council to close down following an inspection in December last year in response to a neighbour’s complaint about noise and traffic.
The inspection resulted in the home-business being re-classified as a “recreational facility” which means it cannot operate within an R2 zoned area. The owners were given 90 days to comply with the order.
“Northern Beaches Council has ordered us to stop running a swim school because it is making too much noise,” the swim school’s notice to their clients on 21 February reads.
They furthered that at this stage their only option is to bring the matter to the court and fight the council which would be “expensive, time-consuming and seriously stressful.”
The council explained that given that Barrenjoey Swim School interferes with the amenity of the neighbourhood, it doesn’t meet the definition of a “home business” that would have qualified it as an “exempt development” under the Northern Beaches planning rules.
Barrenjoey Swim School to continue operating
The owners recently met with Northern Beaches Council CEO Ray Brownlee and Planning and Place Director, Louise Kerr. The Geyles emerged from the meeting with a sigh of relief as they were offered a reprieve by Council and gave them two months to submit a proposal addressing the noise and traffic concerns.
Damian and Lucie Geyle will work with the stakeholders to come up with suggestions that will tackle the noise and traffic congestion.
Closure notice outraged locals and questioned future of home businesses
The notice of closure caused an uproar among the members of the community, particularly parents of children taking lessons at the swim school and sparked an online petition as well.. Outraged locals took to social media to express their anger and concern about the future of small home businesses.
“Not only does this mean a loss of livelihood for Damian and Lucie but seems like a dangerous loss for a community that revolves around water. Will this set a precedent for the handful of other swim schools in the area? Kids are already behind in swimming with all the closures the last few years….” writes Eliza Viney on her social media.
One of those who commented questioned how one complaint could cause the closure of the swim school. Whilst another could not reconcile the fact that the NSW Government has been encouraging parents to enrol their kids in swimming lessons with the $100 first lap vouchers but at the same time council is “thinking that closing a local swim school is the right thing to do.”
“I never share issues like this on my page, but this one is really close to my heart as it affects some lovely friends, and also creates a terrible precedent for any work from home business,” Running Under The Sprinkler Photography’s post reads.
“I can vouch for the family’s respectful use of their home as a business, having been there during class times, and knowing others who have been there at class times, and also because I live on the same block. I am also aware of what I think may be the catalyst for this action, and it’s definitely not noise from the swim school (which operates in small, and sensible, weekday hours).
“Kids need to learn to swim, and Barrenjoey Swim School is a very well-established, well-respected, family-run home business.”
