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Speaker 1: The big story of the morning, the RSL's controversial proposal

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Speaker 1: to build a new clubhouse on the Esplanade hits Darwin

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Speaker 1: Council tonight. Executive staff are recommending elected members provide in

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Speaker 1: principal support to the plan, but it's coming up against

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Speaker 1: some heavy competition from the neighboring deck Chair Cinema. They're

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Speaker 1: worried about noise and light pollution associated with the development.

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Speaker 1: More than eleven thousand people have signed a petition to

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Speaker 1: keep the space free. We just spoke with James Parker

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Speaker 1: from the deck Ches Cinema to get their side of

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Speaker 1: the argument. Joining me in the studio Announce to talk

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Speaker 1: more about it is the Darwin RSLs sub Branch sub

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Speaker 1: Branch President, Stephen Gloucester. Good morning, Stephen, Good morning, Matt,

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Speaker 1: Good morning listeners. Stephen. As I mentioned to James from

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Speaker 1: the deck Chair Cinema earlier, it's a big day for

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Speaker 1: both of you. How are you feeling about tonight's meeting?

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Speaker 2: Uh? Oh, quietly confident, But you can't say anything given

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Speaker 2: that are all politicians in the council, So we'll just

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Speaker 2: sit back and wait and see.

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Speaker 1: I read an online poll the other day that support

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Speaker 1: for foreign against this proposals pretty well fifty to fifty.

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Speaker 1: Are you surprised at how divisive this has become.

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Speaker 2: A little bit, Yes, but I think if we'd never

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Speaker 2: had the deck chair down at the bottom of the cliff,

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Speaker 2: it probably would have gone much smoother.

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Speaker 1: The deck Chair Cinema have probably been the most vocal

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Speaker 1: critic against this on why they don't want it on

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Speaker 1: the esplanade. But from your perspective, why is it so

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Speaker 1: important for you in the RSL to have it built there.

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Speaker 2: Well, this area is very significant military area. It's where

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Speaker 2: the first shots were fired in the Battle of Darwin.

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Speaker 2: There was a lot of people died in the waters

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Speaker 2: just in front, and it is probably the only site

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Speaker 2: in Australia where a battle took place.

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Speaker 1: The deck Chair Cinema's argument has been about noise and

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Speaker 1: light pollution, and James was very very courteous to you

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Speaker 1: and he said that they spoken to you and they understand.

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Speaker 1: I guess that significance that you talk about with building

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Speaker 1: the RSL there in the connection with well Born too.

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Speaker 1: When we talk about the deck chests. Cinema's argument though,

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Speaker 1: just how much noise and light would be generated and

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Speaker 1: is there any way that you could mitigate that.

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Speaker 2: We've had professionals look at it, and the RSL is

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Speaker 2: not really a night night place, and the way we're

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Speaker 2: developing this so it looks out over the center tarp,

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Speaker 2: so or the only noise that possibly possibly get would

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Speaker 2: be probably they get more road traffic than they'll get

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Speaker 2: from here because there's trees and everything in the way.

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Speaker 2: We can't see will that there'll be much of a

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Speaker 2: problem with noise. We've had experts look at it and

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Speaker 2: they've given us what we need to do to solve

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Speaker 2: that problem and light problems. So we've looked into it

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Speaker 2: in a great big way.

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Speaker 1: James did a traffic he said, refrigeration bins being empty,

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Speaker 1: they were all things that he said, Well, you can't

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Speaker 1: mitigate those issues. Do you feel that you could work

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Speaker 1: around those issues?

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Speaker 2: Though? I think so. I don't know of the rubbish

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Speaker 2: people working at night or usually most of these things

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Speaker 2: are done early morning, and I'm pretty sure the deck

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Speaker 2: chair don't run early morning. Features. Yes, so they made

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Speaker 2: a point, but I don't think it will really affect them.

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Speaker 1: Stephen. A question we get asked a lot, and probably

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Speaker 1: you get asked a lot, is why the Esplanade and

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Speaker 1: not any other location.

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Speaker 2: The Esperanade is a place that is our first option

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Speaker 2: because of where it is and what it stands for now.

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Speaker 2: Setting a building up on the Esperanade, it gives an

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Speaker 2: open space. We can be family friendly and move away

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Speaker 2: from this stereotype of RSLs just being a spot with

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Speaker 2: poker machines and everything. We're trying to change that image

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Speaker 2: and get to more of the younger people, and now

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Speaker 2: having a nice open area cafe is the way to

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Speaker 2: go because Darwin is a younger population. It's not old people.

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Speaker 1: I know. Last time we spoke, there was a big

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Speaker 1: emphasis on it being a a family friendly venue. When

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Speaker 1: I spoke to James Parker from the deck Chair Cinema

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Speaker 1: a short time ago, he accepted that that could be

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Speaker 1: the case, but he said that there would still be

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Speaker 1: too much noise generated from that that would affect their business.

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Speaker 1: Do you accept that argument?

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Speaker 2: Not really, because most of the families and things, they're

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Speaker 2: home in bed by seven o'clock, so I can't really

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Speaker 2: see that being a problem, and if it is, we'd

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Speaker 2: work to fix that.

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Speaker 1: Are you worried that those that opposed this proposal have

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Speaker 1: made more noise than those in support of it. I mean,

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Speaker 1: eleven thousand people on this petition, it's a lot. But

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Speaker 1: I feel like there are people out there who support

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Speaker 1: the proposal, but I feel like they haven't been as

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Speaker 1: vocal as the ones opposed to it.

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Speaker 2: Though.

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Speaker 1: Are you worried that that could affect tonight's council decision?

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Speaker 2: Might have a small bearing, but you quite often find

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Speaker 2: this happens in most things. You know, the people who

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Speaker 2: against things will always make more noise. And the question

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Speaker 2: with the deck chair was they asked whether they wanted

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Speaker 2: it to be moved. Now, even I don't want the

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Speaker 2: deck chair to move, we want to work with them.

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Speaker 1: How do you think council will vote tonight?

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Speaker 2: Interesting one. I'm not sure, yeah, honest, that's up to them.

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Speaker 1: What happens if it gets over the line for you guys,

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Speaker 1: and what happens if it's rejected.

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Speaker 2: Well, if it gets over the line, there's a lot

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Speaker 2: more steps to go in planning and things like that.

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Speaker 2: So this is only the very start of it. If

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Speaker 2: it doesn't get over, well, we'll then look at redeveloping

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Speaker 2: on our own site, or we'll look around to see

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Speaker 2: if there's something. What is more suitable.

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Speaker 1: What is Plan B at the moment? If it's rejected

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Speaker 1: Tonight James was saying, it sounds like it would be

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Speaker 1: the end of the line for the RSL at that venue,

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Speaker 1: at that particular site.

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Speaker 2: What's next, Well, we've always had a Plan B to

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Speaker 2: move back on our old site, or we'd be looking

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Speaker 2: at if there are any other sites for open up

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Speaker 2: that would be suitable. To see, our whole site's not

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Speaker 2: really family friendly and we're trying to get back to

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Speaker 2: that younger audience, so we'll be looking at areas where

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Speaker 2: we can. We've as a committee, we've got to look

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Speaker 2: for the best option for our members.

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Speaker 1: Plenty of messages coming in one in support here for

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Speaker 1: the proposal. RSL Diggers defend our country. Did the deck

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Speaker 1: Chair Cinema? I do find it it is unfortunate, though,

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Speaker 1: that I think the RSL and the deck Chair Cinema

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Speaker 1: have really been pitted against each other in this argument,

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Speaker 1: because I do think you're too both wonderful organizations. Are

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Speaker 1: you frustrated that it's become you versus them?

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Speaker 2: I think so. I personally, I couldn't see the reason

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Speaker 2: why there'll be any problem. We've offered right from the

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Speaker 2: very start back in August last year to work with

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Speaker 2: the deck chair. Now, all these the problems they're talking

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Speaker 2: about are only technical and we should be able to

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Speaker 2: solve them together.

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Speaker 1: Another message here says let them put it at the

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Speaker 1: seat and it's half. Obviously there would be complexities around that.

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Speaker 1: Another text is it's not just the deck chair against

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Speaker 1: this proposal. It's public land and should be put back

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Speaker 1: into the esplanade. No building on the esplanade. Stephen, Before

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Speaker 1: you guys, just want to ask what is your final

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Speaker 1: message for those oldermen that will vote on this issue tonight.

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Speaker 2: Look, it's up to the old woman to do what

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Speaker 2: they consciously think is the best thing. I hope they

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Speaker 2: support us. It's a good project. It'll be good for tourism,

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Speaker 2: it'll be good for the city, you know, and it

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Speaker 2: will work very well with the deck chair. We've got

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Speaker 2: to work as a team. We're going through hard times

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Speaker 2: and this is a time when we all need to

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Speaker 2: work together.

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Speaker 1: The Darwin RSL sub Branch President, Stephen Glocester, thank you

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Speaker 1: for your time this morning and all the best tonight.

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Speaker 2: Thank you