Popular Sydney restaurant slugged with massive cleaning bill in council stoush
City of Sydney has weighed into a long-running war with the owner of popular Sydney restaurant Lady Chu, saying the business has attracted more than 100 complaints in the last two years.
Council said it would send Nahji Chu a cleaning bill, reportedly $7000, after she painted a street light above her restaurant, claiming it was too bright.
Lady Chu owner Nahji Chu. A Current Affair
“No one wants to sit outside my restaurant,” Chu said.
“It’s like we’re at a stadium grand final.
“It’s not sexy, it’s a laughingstock of the world.”
Chu has been campaigning online to have the “smart” LED street lights dimmed, with a petition gathering momentum.
She admitted to A Current Affair that she used a ladder and a paint brush attached to a stick to paint one light so it wasn’t as bright.
City of Sydney Council said four lights had been painted.
Diners had glowing reviews of the newfound ambience in a video posted to the restaurant’s Instagram.
The council said it would send Nahji Chu a cleaning bill after she painted a street light above her restaurant. A Current Affair
“I’ll do anything to protect my business,” Chu said.
“When it came (back) on, I literally cried all day.
“It’s how much it hurt me - it means a lot to my business.
“It’s been a year and a half of me begging.
“It’s the latest chapter in a long-running dispute, which first started with electric bike deliveries at Chu’s former restaurant, MissChu.
The war went viral when Chu launched at two council rangers who challenged her placement of outdoor plants and tables, claiming there wasn’t enough room for pedestrians.
Nahji Chu has been campaigning online to have the “smart” LED street lights dimmed, with a petition gathering momentum. A Current Affair
In a detailed statement, Council said it had dimmed the lights outside the restaurant in November.
“It is clear the restaurant would like the lights to be dimmed further, but doing so would risk putting council in breach of our public safety obligations,” it said.
It is currently investigating whether the lights could be adjusted to a warmer tone.
Full statement from City of Sydney
We grant approval to businesses in our local area to use public footpaths free of charge.
We first introduced fee waivers and fast-track approvals in November 2020 as a measure to support business and help hospitality venues recover from the pandemic. Since then, we’ve approved nearly 1000 outdoor dining applications, on the road or footpath.
This has resulted in an estimated 13,000sqm new space for outdoor dining and support for more than 800 businesses. The total value of support we have given businesses by waiving footpath and on-street outdoor dining fees since is over $20 million, and its real value to our city is immeasurable. Lady Chu has approval to use 53m2 along the public footpath on Roslyn Street in Potts Point. That amount of space allows for seating for around 70 additional patrons, provided by the City free of charge. While people appreciate Lady Chu’s outdoor dining, it is not primarily a restaurant or private courtyard. It is still a footpath, adjacent to a road, and its safe use by pedestrians and motorists needs to be maintained. Public street lighting is required to comply with the levels specified in the relevant Australian Standards.
Deviation below those standards could decrease community safety on public roads and footpaths, or open Council to liability in the event of an accident. LED lights were first installed on Roslyn Street in 2012.
In 2025 we commenced a major LED street lighting program to replace lights as they approach end of service life with the latest generation of energy-efficient LED lights, which includes installation of smart controls. These were installed on Roslyn Street in October 2025.
The same lights have also been installed on Darlinghurst Road and many other locations across the local area. The new lights are installed with a smart control node which enables the lights to be remotely monitored and controlled, including dimming, to manage energy use and ensure compliance. In response to requests from the community and the restaurant to reduce brightness on Roslyn Street, in November we adjusted the lighting to the minimum level that maintains safe compliance with the Australian Standards. It is clear the restaurant would like the lights to be dimmed further, but doing so would risk putting Council in breach of our public safety obligations. We are currently investigating whether there are any City of Sydney-controlled street lights above approved outdoor dining locations that could be adjusted to a warmer tone, but compliance with the Australian Standards must be maintained. Lady Chu recently claimed responsibility for painting over street lights on Roslyn Street to lower their brightness further.
Our investigation found a total of four had been painted. It is an offence under cl 13 of the Roads Regulation 2018 to interfere with street lights on public roads, with a maximum penalty of $2200. We try to work with and support businesses across our local area, so have not referred the matter to NSW Police. Given our obligations to maintain the lighting at the minimum Australian Standard, we will restore the lighting. The cost of doing this should not be borne by City of Sydney ratepayers. We have advised Ms Chu that we will issue her an invoice for these works, however, we have not issued a fine in this instance.
We have also advised that any further instances of deliberate damage to council property will be reported to the Police. The City would like to work collaboratively with local businesses, but we must also balance the needs of neighbouring residents. This business has attracted more than 100 complaints from community members over the past two years.
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