Enmore Road entertainment precinct trial underway

By DAVID IVANI

After recently being recognised as one of the world’s best streets, Enmore Road is being transformed into a ‘Special Entertainment Precinct’ for a trial by the Inner West Council.

 The trial will run from from September 1 to November 30, with new policies and compliance procedures set to bring live music and entertainment to the Newtown road. During the trial, entertainment premises located within the Enmore Road Precinct, which stretches from Edgeware Rd to Newtown Station, will undergo modifications.

The Department of Planning and Environment categorises a Special Entertainment Precinct as a “venue, street, or area where councils set and manage amplified music levels through a noise / sound management plan”. The Enmore Precinct is set to be the first of its kind in Sydney and NSW.

Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne announced the precinct, saying that “we can now create Special Entertainment Precincts that ends the prosecution of live music venues”.

Under the conditions for the trial, businesses that host live entertainment will be allowed to operate for an additional 30 minutes beyond their initial development consent contract. According to Liquor and Gaming NSW, “licensed venues can opt in to receive an extension to their liquor trading hours”, which “will allow the venues to continue to sell and supply liquor during the extra 30 minutes of trade”.

Moreover, all premises will be permitted to offer footpath dining until 11PM – as long as they hold a footpath dining licence.

Thirdly, the Council will be testing “fixed level sound criteria” in line with its Draft Precinct Management Plan which, according to the draft, “balances the approach to the management of entertainment sound within the Enmore Road Special Entertainment Precinct”.

As a bonus, the Inner West Council now encourages live performances as “all business[es] on Enmore Road can now host live music and entertainment without applying to Council”.

Trial puts precinct management to the test

The purpose of the trial is to put the Inner West Council’s Draft Precinct Management Plan to the test.

The Department of Planning and Environment explains that “the planning change allows the council to trial and test its plan for managing amplified music through its own Sound Management Plan”.

Inner West Councillor Pauline Lockie celebrated the start of the trial with a Facebook post.

‘This trial will make it easier for local businesses to offer live music and entertainment, while allowing Council to manage compliance and noise issues,” Cr Lockie said.

Outcomes, results, and feedback will be obtained through Enmore Road Precinct’s stakeholders, such as residents, business owners, the NSW Police, and the wider community.

Council will then make the decision on whether to make the Enmore Road Precinct a permanent fixture in the Inner West.