City Of Sydney calls for empty spaces to be made available to artists

The City of Sydney has called for more than 1.6 million square metres of empty commercial and residential space to be made available to artists for creative activities and business endeavours.

This move is part of the City Of Sydney’s ambitious Cultural Policy and Action Plan, which was passed in Council last night, and is described as a “ten-year action plan for unlocking Sydney’s creative potential and boosting the cultural life of its residents, workers and visitors.”

This follows the 57-point Live Music Matters action plan, which was unanimously endorsed at a Cultural and Community Committee meeting held last month. The report was assembled by the Live Music and Performance Taskforce, which Clover Moore told TMN was “the most thorough investigation into live music ever produced in Australia.”

The Cultural Policy and Action Plan features 120 action points, including: working with commercial developers to incorporate creative work spaces, including sound-proofed musical practice rooms, in new developments across the city; lobbying the NSW Government and community housing providers to classify artists and creatives as ‘key workers’, giving them access to affordable rental housing in the inner city; and investigating the development of a ‘thinker-in-residence’ model for Sydney, which has proven successful in South Australia.

The use of empty commercial spaces for creative-based businesses echoes the Renew Newcastle movement, which was launched in 2008, and has since revitalised the CBD. Marcus Westbury, who launched Renew Newcastle, tells TMN that Sydney’s high rental prices makes it the perfect city to launch such an initiative.

“We’ve shown that it can make a big difference in a place like Newcastle, and I think one of the challenges that Sydney has had for a long time is that it’s very pricey for people to get started,” says Westbury. “If they can treat that empty space as a chance to incubate new creative projects and businesses, and try new ideas, then it’s a win-win for the city.”

The draft Cultural Policy and Action Plan will be on public exhibition before the policy is finalised later in the year.