Owner claims nightclub was forced out of town

– Rebecca Fraser
THE owner of the now defunct Furnace Nite Club claims he was pushed out of Narre Warren.
Last week the trouble plagued nightspot announced its closure after more than three years of operation that were marred with violence and drunken behaviour.
However, Furnace owner Charlie Strojek said the club had cleaned up its act, security was increased and patron behaviour had greatly improved.
He said it was unfair that the club, which has changed names and owners three times since opening in 2002, continued to be associated with incidents that occurred when the venue first opened.
Mr Strojek said Westfield Shopping Centre, where the nightclub was located, and the police had made it impossible for him to remain open and he was facing constant fines from Liquor Licensing Victoria for any ‘little’ incident.
He said the closure of the club would mean that Casey’s young people would have nowhere to go, and wild parties, fights and drinking in public places would now become a real problem.
Mr Strojek said young partygoers were in tears when the club announced its closure and the venue had been attracting 1200 patrons every Friday night.
“It is unfair that we were blamed for the problems of the past.
“We had the best security and everything ran smoothly.
“But we were still told that we would be shut down if we did not get out.
‘Where will the kids go now,” he said.
Following last week’s announcement two local venues have been quick to try and fill the void that the closure of Furnace has left behind.
The Nu Hotel in Scott Street Dandenong is set to open its first-floor nightclub, Club Pulse, for the first time since the mid-1990s on Friday night and attract former Furnace Nite Club patrons.
Nu Hotel manager Steve Amundsen said the club had used SMS to contact 30,000 young people on nightclub databases to notify them of the club’s launch.
He said Furnace’s closure had ‘presented an opportunity’ for the hotel to open its first floor, which can hold up to 760 people.
Blitz night club in Berwick is also set to open its doors on Friday, 21 April to try and attract local night club goers.
The club had previously only opened on Saturday nights.
Meanwhile, District Inspector Robert Hill has said police understood that young people in Casey needed a night time venue.
He said police would support proprietors applying for liquor licences if they provided safe venues that were in the interest and to the benefit of the local community and complied with responsible service of alcohol guidelines.
A spokeswoman for Westfield Fountain Gate said the retailer made the decision to cease trading and released a statement accordingly.