Bayside Council has issued a detailed public statement responding to media reports and allegations from former operators of the iconic Le Sands Restaurant, asserting that long-running lease breaches and a failure to maintain the waterfront building ultimately forced the venue’s closure.
The intervention marks the first time the Council has publicly addressed the dispute, which surfaced after Peter and Elizabeth Antonopoulos spoke to A Current Affair, claiming the family had been “destroyed” financially following the termination of their lease last month.
Council: Maintenance failures, breached settlement and outstanding debt
In its statement, Bayside Council acknowledged the Antonopoulos family’s decades-long contribution to Brighton-Le-Sands but said it had been compelled to act after repeated breaches of the lease agreement.
“Council had worked with the Antonopoulos family over many years to resolve recurrent breaches of the Lease agreement… This resulted in the successful negotiation of a Settlement Deed earlier this year, but this was breached by the Antonopoulos family shortly after being signed,” the statement said.
Council also revealed it is “yet to recover outstanding amounts in excess of $100,000” linked to the agreement.
While the Antonopoulos family has said serious structural issues – such as roof leaks, mould and contaminated water in the kitchen – led to the collapse of their business, Council disputed that characterisation, stating that “the source of many of the defects is the lack of ongoing maintenance, which was the responsibility of the former tenant.”
It also directly addressed a widely publicised incident involving fat and water flooding the restaurant’s kitchen.
“The fat and water leak… resulted from non-compliant plumbing work overseen by the Antonopoulos family as former head tenant,” Council claimed.
A beloved restaurant in limbo
Le Sands, which opened in 1980, had long been a fixture of Sydney’s waterfront dining scene, hosting prime ministers including Gough Whitlam, Paul Keating and Anthony Albanese, along with international celebrities such as Diego Maradona.
The Antonopoulos family said earlier this week that they had invested “a minimum of $8 million” into the venue and paid close to $800,000 annually in rent and outgoings. In the A Current Affair interview, Elizabeth described the closure as devastating.
“Financially, it’s destroyed us,” she said, also alleging that unresolved building defects made the restaurant unsafe to operate.
Council outlines extensive repair program
Bayside Council says the building – Brighton Pavilion – is now in such poor condition that restoring it will require a multi-million-dollar investment.
According to the statement, Council has already spent or commenced works valued at $1.5 million, including:
- Roof repairs and removal of redundant equipment
- Clearing more than 500kg of bird and animal waste from gutters
- Terrace upgrades
- Emergency internal plumbing repairs
- Internal deep cleaning, de-fitting and make-good works
“The building is now in need of substantial repairs,” Council said, adding that its responsibility as custodian of a “significant community asset” required decisive action.
Work is underway to “refresh and reactivate the Pavilion to ensure it is available to benefit the local community for many years to come,” with further updates expected as planning progresses.
What happens next
The Antonopoulos family has indicated they intend to seek compensation, while Bayside Council continues recovery action for outstanding payments and ongoing repairs.
With the lease terminated, no timeline has been set for reopening the Pavilion to new tenants.
For now, one of Sydney’s most storied dining venues remains dark – caught between competing accounts of what brought its 45-year history to an abrupt end.
