Following a vote by Sydney’s Inner West Council on Tuesday, pubs and bars in six new ‘entertainment precincts’ will now be able to trade until 2am, after a successful trial in Enmore Road, Enmore.
The precincts include Darling Street in Balmain and Rozelle, Norton Street and Parramatta Road in Leichhardt, Marrickville and Illawarra Roads in Marrickville, an industrial area near Marrickville’s Addison Road, and New Canterbury Road and Marrickville Road in Dulwich Hill.
While only thirteen of the seventy-eight submissions received after publication of the draft plans supported post-midnight trading, venues in these areas may now extend their hours to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, with outdoor dining permitted until midnight on those nights.
Also, small-scale artistic events, which includes live music, can be hosted without permission from council.
Despite concerns raised around noise impacts on residents, the council ultimately ruled that the economic and social benefits outweighed local concerns.
Mayor Darcy Byrne notes the precinct on Emore Road has been thriving since the trial began there in 2022, and he believes that the change for Balmain would bring it back to life.
“We are about to see a genuine renaissance of Sydney’s nightlife based here in the people’s republic of the inner west,” he says.
Given the recent addition of many pubs in the Inner West to a heritage list, intended to establish ongoing protection and recognition for the hotels, the Mayor said the council is now requesting the NSW Government gazette the new precincts immediately, to help keep the pub culture alive.
Owner of the Corner Bar in Rozelle, Lindsay Egan, is considering extending opening hours during spring and summer, and making room for more live music.
He sees younger patrons as “fun” and more open to trying new products and ideas, and believes enticing them to go out would revitalise the area.
“They don’t want to be curled up in front of the fireplace at 8pm,” he told the SMH, suggesting the changes to trading hours could be key to the local hospitality industry’s survival.
Further precincts are expected to be added later this year, in Fairfield and Burwood.
