City Of Sydney Propose New Support For LGBTQ+ Businesses On Oxford & King

The City of Sydney has committed to providing further support for local LGBTQ+ businesses, with a motion passed in a recent council meeting to see more dialogue between queer businesses and the community along Oxford and King streets and surrounds.

Raised by Cr Olly Arkins at the Council’s Tuesday evening meeting, the motion called for a roundtable for LGBTQ+ businesses across Newtown and Erskineville, hosted alongside the Inner West council, with community stakeholders such the Pride Business Association also taking part.

“By bringing everyone together, we can talk about what’s working so well and how we can harness to keep it, to keep building momentum, and how we can proactively respond to challenges with practical support,” she said.

Arkins also proposed a similar roundtable for businesses on and around Oxford Street, alongside AsheMorgan, developers for the city-owned buildings along the north side of the street.

Cr Adam Worling seconded the motion, sharing his first-hand experience with queer Sydney’s ups and downs.

“Newtown and Erskineville have been LGBTQIA+ precincts since the early 1980s. I know- I was there. In today’s clickbait driven world supposedly, the end is near because one club closed on Oxford Street and reopened in Newtown,” he said.

“It’s not a death, it’s an evolution.

“We don’t need Inner West Councillors- I won’t name them- who boast about Newtown being the new Oxford Street. This does not benefit Sydney’s rich and diverse queer community or quite simply, Sydney’s queerest capital. Why can’t we have both now? ”

Worling said that recent discussions with Oxford Street business owners marked promising developments on the Pink Mile, with Universal Group, owners of the Imperial Erskineville and Oxford Hotel, recently taking out a new lease on a property for 25 years. Alongside new outdoor dining laws, the recent bike lane, and Pride month around the corner, there’s no sign of Oxford Street stopping any time soon.

Oxford Street still parties despite alleged death

The motion comes after much hand-wringing from community members about the decline of Oxford Street, especially after the recent closures of long-time institutions such as Stonewall and The Bookshop Darlinghurst, which had been operating for 28 and 43 years respectively.

Locals have also pointed to years of construction delays linked to the $200 million Oxford and Foley redevelopment for reducing foot traffic and leading to business closures.

Recent reporting from the Daily Telegraph claimed vacancy rates on the historic strip sat at nearly 1 in 3, vastly higher than Sydney’s CBD average of 4.3 per cent.

However, the City of Sydney is continuing to invest in the historical strip, recently announcing plans to heritage list a number of sites on the street. The move comes as part of the City’s Oxford Street LGBTIQA+ Social and Cultural Place Strategy, developed after years of community consultation to recognise  historic queer spaces, boost visibility and sure the precinct remains a thriving hub for LGBTQIA+ life.

“The alleged demise of Oxford Street has been going on for decades, yet the street still kicks on,” Cr Worling told Star Observer. “There is no  doubt some businesses have moved on though there are businesses that are prospering and expanding and I would like to focus on that aspect.

“I welcome the roundtables as an opportunity to speak with key businesses and hear how they see the evolution of Oxford Street and at the same time what TOGA’s approach is to ensure that new businesses – queer or not queer – are queer engaged.”

Meanwhile, King Street in Newtown is becoming a second hub for queer Sydney-siders, with the recent opening of Stonewall Newtown driving significant traffic, as well as the transfer of Newtown Hotel back into community hands.