Party time in St Francis only last for 30 days

Information submitted by John Hammond edited by St Francis Today

Whilst not always good news for some residents, visitors looking to party and generally have a good time, do from time to time create a noise nuisance factor around pubs, clubs, restaurants and take-away establishment in the early hours of the morning. Liquor trading hours in the Kouga district have been extended allowing bars and restaurants to operate up until 3:00am and these trading hours will remain in place up until 15th January but are regularly monitored by SAP and establishments do adhere to the rule of law. If it appears to some that they are in fact staying open past the legitimate trading hours, it should be appreciated that once they close their doors at 3:00am, staff are required to remain to cash up, clean up and restock for the next day thus appearing to be open until much later than the prescribed 3:00am. “This is no way means liquor is being sold till 5:00am”! Say John Hammond

Unfortunately much of the noise attributed to the pubs and clubs emanates from the many young revellers, and quite a few of the not so young, who seek out something to eat after a hard night of partying and the noise around take-aways that stay open until the early hours to cater for their needs. At any gathering of after-party goers there is bound to be music, talking / shouting and the sound of motor vehicles but we have to accept that St Francis is a holiday destination and thus attracts thousands of visitors looking to party and generally have a good time. The positives that these holiday makers bring to the economy of our region cannot be ignored and certainly some residents living close to ‘the action’ do suffer a little sleep deprivation, and whilst it may be hard to accept, it is one of the negatives of living in a holiday paradise. Certainly we may have to grin and bear it but it is amde easier if we consider that for 335 days of the year we live a lifestyle that many can only aspire to.

Establishments in greater St Francis adhere to the rules and restaurants, pubs and clubs have regular meetings with Liquor inspectors. We invited SAPS to visit liquor establishments on a daily basis to assist in checking for underage drinking and compliance to code, specially at peak trading. A big thank you to the business who supply such catering in the early morning as I believe it reduces vandalism. This is better than in past years where every venue was closed and small groups of our youth would wander around town and often get up to mischief. My understanding is that after food these groups of friends either head to the beach to watch the sunrise or go quietly home to bed” says Hammond.

Hammond continues “Again we invited and have support from SAPS in patrolling the area to minimise disruption. At this busy period sometimes things do go wrong but when it does, corrective action is implemented and all establishments support the don’t drink and drive ethos with many offering a service to get patrons home safely. Should you have a specific concern then please feel free to contact me at any time on 072 770 7788

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