Special Entertainment Precincts Expanding Across Inner West
Image: genderspectrum / VICE
The Inner West will be getting six new special entertainment precincts, with parts of Rozelle, Marrickville and Dulwich Hill joining the likes of Enmore Road in an attempt to revitalise Sydney’s nightlife.
Last Tuesday night, the Inner West Council voted to implement the new zones along Marrickville Road and New Canterbury Road in Dulwich Hill, Marrickville and Illawarra roads in Marrickville, the industrial area near Addison Road, and Leichhardt’s Norton Street and Parramatta Road.
Bars, clubs, and restaurants along these areas will be able to trade until 2:00am on Fridays, Saturdays, and before public holidays, and can keep outdoor dining open until 11pm. Businesses will also be able to host small scale live performances without needing a development application.
“The Inner West is rapidly overtaking the CBD as the epicentre of entertainment in Sydney,” said Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne.
“Our main streets are already the coolest nighttime 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.
First entertainment precinct wildly successful
Byrne said that the introduction of a special entertainment precinct along Enmore Road in 2022 was still “going gangbusters”, becoming so successful that the council voted to make the changes permanent.
“While other Councils are shutting down entertainment, we are doing the opposite and want to attract more venues and performers to our main streets,” said Minns.
“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.”
Following the success of the first special entertainment precinct along Enmore Road, the Inner West Council have introduced the rules in Balmain, Dulwich Hill, Leichhardt, Marrickville North, Marrickville Town Centre, and Rozelle.
Burwood and Fairfield are both also set to receive their own special entertainment precincts later in the year.
