The operators of Terella Brewing have penned an open letter to Sunshine Coast councillors asking them to call an emergency meeting over the fate of the popular venue.
It comes as brewery co-founder Brandt Bamford revealed he is still facing criminal charges and personal fines over alleged breaches of the Planning Act, despite announcing the imminent closure of the North Arm site.
Mr Bamford told Sunshine Coast News he sent the open letter to councillors on Monday morning. It was also posted to the brewery’s social media page on Sunday night.
“We’re urging them to call an emergency meeting to hear our story, hear how we got here, hear the whole story of Terella, because a lot of them are so misinformed,” he said.
“They don’t understand. They’re being told by certain people in the council that we have no approvals, that we have waste problems, that we have no insurance.
“All of those things are just not true. We can make as many comments as we want on Facebook but it’s not the same as 10 people in a room listening.”
A Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson said it was unable to comment because the matter was before the courts, but a statement from chief executive officer John Baker has been posted to the council website.
“This comes down to fairness and safety,” it says.
“Council backs business and we want them to succeed. But we also have to make sure everybody plays by the same rules.
“For example, if you set up a busy weekend food market without the right approvals, insurance, traffic management or safety controls, that’s not fair. It’s not fair on the neighbours and it’s not fair on other businesses who have done the right thing and paid the costs to comply.
“Or you can’t just open something that attracts large crowds and say, ‘we’ll sort the rules out later’. The rules exist to manage things like traffic, safety and amenity so families and businesses can co-exist.
“Taking legal action is always the last resort. This isn’t about shutting down local enterprise, it’s about making sure everyone plays by the same rules.”
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But the letter from Terella – which it says is written “respectfully, not in anger, but in hope” – questions comments reportedly made by Mr Baker and Mayor Rosanna Natoli that its existence was “unfair to other businesses”.
“Is it fair that the very first time we have ever heard that our approved numbers were supposedly ‘30 to 40’ people was during a television interview?” it says in part.
The letter goes on to describe Terella’s apparent struggles with communicating with council and the “tens of thousands of dollars” it has spent doing so.
“Is it fair that we spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on MCU (material change of use) applications, professional reports, consultants and expert advice, only to later receive an enforcement notice?” it says.
The letter makes a direct appeal to councillors.
“We are not asking you to take sides. We are asking you to look into the facts. We are asking you to find the source of these claims. We are asking you to have the courage to step outside internal lines if necessary and ensure that what is happening is right and fair,” it says.
“There are no winners here. There are only losers. A family losing their business. Staff losing their jobs … A community losing a gathering place.
“You were elected to represent the people of this region. Many of those people are asking for this space to be saved. There is still time to do the right thing. There is still time to review the information. There is still time to turn this around.
“Our final trade date may be approaching, but we remain, as we always have been, open to meeting and finding a constructive way forward.”
Mr Bamford said weekend patronage at the venue was the highest ever after news of the closure broke.
“It was the biggest we’ve had. The community really turned out to support us,” he said.
“We sold nearly all of our merch. We had people coming in bringing chocolates and presents for the staff, and there were tears.
“We’ve got people saying they want to organise a rally, but we’re currently quelling that. The support has been nothing short of amazing.”
Mr Bamford said some Terella staff had found employment elsewhere but he was unsure of his next move.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. Probably go back to the mines or something,” he said.
