AN American-style, multimillion-dollar city club due to open early next year will feature a 25,000 litre aquarium with “mermaids” and, later on, hammerhead sharks.

Situated at the former Garage Bar site on Waymouth St, Atlantis Lounge will have a 3m diameter cylinder, floor-to-ceiling infinity tank in the middle of the floor with two swimming performers.

Owner Nathan Buttigieg also plans to add two 60cm-1.5m hammerhead sharks – which won’t require government approval as they are not a protected species.

Mr Buttigieg says the bar is also slated to have a 2.5m champagne fountain, acrobats, gold plated toilets, onyx wall and the “world’s largest” Agate bar worth more than $450,000, a chauffeur service for VIPs and champagne bottles priced from $15 to $100,000.

He is also seeking approval for a swimming pool for stage two of the development, and, for stage three, approval from South Coast Helicopters to fly in high-profile interstate guests via helicopter.

He is seeking council approval to potentially use Light Square as a helipad.

media_camera Nathan Buttigieg is planning a new club called Atlantis Lounge — which will have sharks. Picture Roy VanDerVegt

In a statement to The City, Adelaide City Council’s acting program manager for City Safety and Customer Service, Caro Mader, said that following the council’s own research and discussions with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), it was deemed that “under very specific conditions” it is possible to land a helicopter safely within Light Square.

“However, while a private operator approached Council recently to seek permission to do so, this application has lapsed,” she said.

“Any future application would again be assessed in collaboration with CASA and other authorities.”

Mr Buttigieg, who has been inspired by similar clubs in the U.S., says he wants to try some “outrageous things”.

“We want to try to attract other states to us and bring high profile clients down and offer them lifts into the city,” he says.

“It’s just going to be a wow factor for Adelaide.”

He says he has some “financial backers” to help fund the venture.

The club’s Facebook page has advertised for bar staff, door girls, dancers, singers, acrobats, mermaids, chauffeurs and helicopter pilots.

Mr Buttigieg, who has worked as a carpenter, says he wanted to “build a bar he’d like to visit” and believes Adelaide has the clientele for an up-market venue of this calibre.

“We want our competition to be 2KW, Electra House and The Pearl,” he says.

“We don’t want to be so strict on the people who come in but we still want the same class of person, just the up-market older crowd.

“I think Adelaide has the clientele for this.”

Mr Buttigieg estimates the entry fee to the bar, which has an overall capacity of 360, will be $20.

What to expect:

VIP room hire for $500-$1000, with bottle service

Bottles of champagne (some up to 15L) such as Ace of Spades and Cristal

Chauffeured Range Rovers for VIPs

Gold-plated toilets from Turkey

Agate bar/onyx wall

Live house musicians (such as saxophone and bongo players)

Aquarium, tipped to be the largest commercial aquarium in Australia aside from SeaWorld