Highgate tavern plan adds smoking and patron controls on Beaufort Street

Residents near Beaufort Street in Highgate are facing tighter controls around a proposed tavern change, after councillors backed amended planning conditions that require smoking patrons to be redirected away from the town centre and limit the venue to 400 people.

The application covers Nos. 484 and 488-492 Beaufort Street and changes the approved use from eating house to tavern. The revised conditions limit trading to 11am to midnight, Monday to Sunday and public holidays, unless an extended trading permit allows otherwise. The premises would also be capped at a maximum of 400 persons, including patrons and staff, at any one time.

Council’s revised venue management settings include an approved Venue Management Plan dated 25 November 2025, a Waste Management Plan dated 5 December 2025, and an Acoustic Report dated 9 December 2025. The operational measures in the acoustic report must be implemented and maintained at the owners’ or occupiers’ expense.

The clearest change for nearby residents is smoking management. The updated Venue Management Plan includes measures to redirect patrons who are smoking to areas outside the Town Centre.

The tavern would also have to provide 12 long-term bicycle bays at the rear of the property within 28 days of approval, and seal, drain, pave and line-mark the car parking area within the same timeframe. The site must operate in accordance with the approved plans, with the City retaining oversight of compliance.

Comparable taverns along Beaufort Street were discussed during the briefing, including Queens Tavern, The Beaufort and The Elford Hotel, as councillors weighed the operating hours and management controls sought for the Highgate site. The proposal sits alongside other planning and traffic items across the city, but the Beaufort Street tavern drew the sharpest local amenity focus for South Ward residents.

If the approval is finalised, the venue will operate under the new conditions rather than the earlier approval, with the smoking, noise, waste and parking controls built into the amended consent.