Media release
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne
Inner West Council has voted to give final approval to an unprecedented six new Special Entertainment Precincts delivering later trading and later alfresco dining across the whole community.
The new precincts will allow all venues to trade until 2:00am on Fridays and Saturdays as well as allowing alfresco dining and outdoor trading until midnight on those nights.
All businesses within the Precincts will also be able to host small-scale artistic events without the need for a development application.
This follows on from the hugely successful Enmore Special Entertainment Precinct, which was a NSW first and has been successfully operating since September 2022.
The new precincts are located in:
- Darling Street, Balmain and Rozelle
- Marrickville Road and New Canterbury Road, Dulwich Hill
- Marrickville Road and Illawarra Road, Marrickville
- Industrial area along Victoria Road and Addison Road, Marrickville
- Norton Street and Parramatta Road, Leichhardt
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne said "the Inner West is rapidly overtaking the CBD as the epicentre of entertainment in Sydney."
"Our main streets are already the coolest night-time destinations in Sydney and the new Entertainment Precincts will give our artists, pubs, restaurants and bars a big shot in the arm to take us to the next level.
"Venues across the Inner West will now be trading later all week and up until 2:00am on Fridays and Saturdays. We are also legalising the use of footpaths and alfresco dining areas until midnight because we want to see more people out on the street later.
"While other councils are shutting down entertainment, we are doing the opposite and want to attract more venues and performers to our main streets.
"With seven Entertainment Precincts across the Inner West, including Enmore Road, which is already going gangbusters, we are about to see a genuine renaissance of Sydney's nightlife based here in the People's Republic of the Inner West.
"We are asking the NSW Government to gazette these new precincts immediately so we can help breathe new life into Sydney's hospitality scene."
The new Special Entertainment Precincts will allow for:
- All businesses to trade up to 2:00am on Fridays and Saturdays and before a public holiday
- Outdoor dining and outdoor trading on private land until midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and before a public holiday, and 11:00pm on other nights
- Permitting all premises to host small scale live performances without needing a development application
- Reducing the number of government agencies that regulate sound in the precincts to just one (Liquor and Gaming NSW)
- Mandating the soundproofing of new, nearby developments to reduce sound impacts
