The City of Sydney has prepared proposals to boost its nightlife, with 5000 businesses across more than 20 special entertainment precincts set to benefit.
After carrying out extensive community consultation, the City of Sydney is proposing to upgrade its late-night trading areas to special entertainment precincts.
Venues within the precincts will be able to trade later and have access to NSW Government benefits, including liquor licence fee discounts and extended licensing hours.
"This will be the largest overhaul of late-night trading of its kind in Australia," Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO said.
"Our community has resoundingly voiced its support for our plans so far, highlighting the fact that we want to see a nightlife that reflects our status as a global city.
"The community has also asked us to allow some areas to trade even later and we've listened."
The proposals seek to expand some of the City of Sydney's existing late-night precincts and add new ones.
Special entertainment precincts would now include:
- a new area along Harris Street in Ultimo, including the Powerhouse Museum
- expanded precincts along Meagher Street and Shepherd Street in Chippendale
- an expanded Oxford Street precinct, covering The National Art School and Qtopia.
"In response to community feedback we have expanded special entertainment precinct status to some new areas. We have heard the concerns of residents in some of those areas and we will continue to work with them as well as businesses, workers and visitors through this next phase to ensure we get the balance right," the Lord Mayor said.
The following areas would be upgraded to a later 'tier', unlocking later hours for businesses:
- Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Wharves 3 and 4
- several streets around the Mercantile Hotel in The Rocks
- part of Oxford Street to the east of Taylor Square
- Regent Street, Botany Road and parts of Redfern Street
- The Hollywood Quarter around Campbell, Foster and Commonwealth streets in Surry Hills.
"It's clear our communities are invested in these proposals but it's a very technical process, so by consulting them every step of the way we're ensuring they understand and support us at each stage of this journey," the Lord Mayor said.
The City of Sydney has also proposed bespoke sound rules after carrying out acoustic testing across the local area.
Sound levels permitted would depend on the time of day and be tailored to specific streets or areas.
"The new rules around sound will play a vital role in balancing nightlife with liveability," the Lord Mayor said.
"Businesses will have clarity about how loud they can be at what time, while residents will rest easy in the knowledge that their needs have been taken into account."
The tier upgrades have been welcomed by Julian Cincotta, co-founder of Butter Sydney, who said they will provide businesses with new opportunities.
"For businesses like ours, later trading means we can better support live music, events and collaborations across the neighbourhood.
"What's exciting about these changes is that they support the whole ecosystem of a precinct rather than individual venues operating in isolation.
"It allows hospitality venues, bars and cultural spaces to operate in sync with each other, rather than shutting down just as the area is getting busy," Mr Cincotta said.
The changes are part of a broader suite of proposals to recognise established and understood late-night trading areas with special entertainment precinct status.
"We all want a nightlife we can be proud of and that our global city deserves," the Lord Mayor said.
"In response to the challenging hospitality environment and the NSW Government's vibrancy reforms, our proposal for special entertainment precincts will continue us on the path to restoring our thriving nightlife.
"By not simply designating one or two streets, but more than 20 precincts that have already proven to support this kind of activity, we're hoping to apply the benefits to as many areas and businesses as possible while avoiding the safety and economic impacts of saturation.
"We have worked hard to create the environment where our nightlife can thrive, and Sydney remains a great place to live. By making it cheaper and easier to operate a venue, we'll create new, fun and affordable options for people going out at night."
Special entertainment precinct status in existing late-night trading areas would reward venues that put on live music and performance by unlocking incentives from the NSW Government for liquor licence fee discounts and more licensing hours. Licensed and unlicensed businesses will also have flexibility to trade later without a development application.
Following endorsement from Council, the proposal will go to the NSW Government for gateway determination before it opens for community feedback.
