New proposals under consideration to inject life back into Sydney after dark

The City of Sydney is set to reform outdated local planning laws in a bid to inject new life into the city’s beleaguered late night economy.

A new round of proposals sees the City of Sydney set out tomake it easier for small businesses to trade late, and encourage more small-scale cultural events and activities across the city.

There’s good news forexisting entertainment venues too, with the ‘agent of change’ principle to be applied for the first time when managing noise impacts.

Under this system, new residential developments near venues would need to be designed and built to ensure residents are not impacted by the venue’s noise. Conversely, new entertainment venues would be required to protect existing residential properties from any noise it will make.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said that although the City had started this work to encourage a more diverse nightlife before the impact of the NSW Government’s lockout laws, it was even more important now.

“Unfortunately, the lockouts have had a serious impact on Sydney’s cultural life, businesses and our reputation overseas – and while areas like Kings Cross are safer, we know the balance isn’t right yet in terms of Sydney’s nightlife,” she said.

“We also made a commitment to review the red tape that we are responsible for that impacts the way our city operates after hours.”