Inner West Council announces additional Entertainment Precincts and funding to improve White Bay Power Station

Following the success of Sydney's first Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) at Enmore Road, Inner West Council is expanding its live music and performance footprint and has announced an additional six new areas to be covered by SEPs.

The SEPs foster a vibrant culture and support a creative arts community. This follows the success of the Enmore Road SEP, which has since seen Enmore Road recognised as Sydney's coolest street and neighbourhood by TimeOut magazine.

The Special Entertainment Precincts will serve as designated areas within the Inner West where live music, performances, and diverse cultural activities can flourish.

The new Special Entertainment Precincts are located in:

• Balmain (Darling Street)

• Dulwich Hill (Marrickville Road and New Canterbury Road)

• Leichhardt (Norton Street and Parramatta Road)

• Marrickville North (Victoria and Addison Road)

• Marrickville Town Centre (Railway Parade, Marrickville Road and Illawarra Road)

• Rozelle (Darling Street and Victoria Road)

Inner west Council highlights that it has “the largest creative arts community in NSW as well as some of the best entertainment venues, bars, breweries, restaurants and pubs in Sydney.”

These new Special Entertainment Precincts are designed to create safe, lively and sustainable entertainment environments that generate opportunities for performing artists as well as boosting local businesses and adding to the vibrancy and nightlife of the neighbourhood.

Recent community engagement demonstrated a high level of support for the new precincts with 5 out of the 6 areas receiving overwhelming support with at least 70% of responses in support and for Dulwich Hill and Marrickville with over 80% support.

The provisions of the Special Entertainment Precinct include:

• The ability for all main street businesses to host small-scale artistic and cultural events without the need for a development application

• An additional hour of trading for hospitality venues that host live entertainment

• Approval for later outdoor dining until 11:00pm

• A reduction in the number of government agencies policing Inner West complaints to just one agency

• New developments such as residential flat buildings must sound-proof against entertainment sound.

Council will work on an expression of interest process for other interested venues, that are appropriately located, to be included as a special entertainment precinct.

Mayor Darcy Byrne shared "The Inner West is the beating heart of Sydney's live music scene and we want to spread the success of what we've done in Enmore throughout the Inner West.

"Our council is committed to bolstering our creative community. From White Bay Power Station as a performance venue to opening our Town Halls to our creative industry at no charge, we want life and culture in our community.

"Our council is committed to creative spaces and is giving creatives more access to more venues.

"Later trading as a reward for hosting gigs is a real incentive for bars, restaurants and pubs and adds to the vibrancy of the local community.

"Allowing live music and performances in all main street shops and legalising performances in bookshops, cafés, and restaurants could increase the availability of affordable spaces for young and emerging artists to perform and develop their craft as well as attracting customers to those businesses. It's a win for artists, local businesses and the community."

Inner West Council has also advised the securing of $17 million to make the White Bay Power Station, Wangal and the surrounding precinct more accessible for pedestrians and improve active transport

Their longstanding vision of White Bay Power Station as a great arts and cultural venue for Sydney is really coming to life.

The work will include:

• Improved walking and cycling routes

• Widening of the pathway and cycleway along Victoria Road to White Bay Power Station

• Pedestrian path connecting the Power Station with the Rozelle Parklands and the light rail

• A signalised intersection at Roberts Street and Mullens Street

• New signalised pedestrian crossing on Roberts Street and new landscaping

• Continuous pedestrian path connecting the Power Station with the Rozelle Parklands and the light rail

Hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Biennale of Sydney saw the incredible potential of the Power Station.

Inner West Council note “We look forward to working with the NSW Government so thousands more can enjoy concerts, exhibitions and events at this iconic new venue.”

Image. Leichhardt's Norton Street