Sydney’s Enmore Road becomes first Special Entertainment Precinct in NSW

Enmore Road, in Sydney’s inner west has become the first permanent Special Entertainment Precinct in New South Wales following a successful two-year trial.

Over the past two years, the trial of the Enmore Road Precinct has improved the vibrancy of the area and created a real incentive for local businesses to host live music and artistic events.

The Enmore SEP was made permanent after an Inner West Council survey found 83% support among locals and the area is attracting people and business.

The Inner West has the largest creative arts community in NSW as well as some of the best entertainment venues, bars, breweries, restaurants and pubs in Sydney.

The Enmore Road Special Entertainment Precinct has created more opportunities for performing artists as well as boosting local businesses and adding to the vibrancy and nightlife of the neighbourhood.

The provisions of the Special Entertainment Precinct include:

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

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

• Approval for later outdoor dining until 11:00pm every night

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

Inner West Mayor, Darcy Byrne noted “The Inner West is the beating heart of Sydney’s live music scene and Enmore Road is now a destination for people throughout Sydney.

“Later trading on Enmore Road as a reward for hosting gigs has been a boon for our bars, restaurants, pubs and performing artists. As a result, we’ve had several new hospitality venues set up on Enmore Road since the trial began.

“Legalising performances in bookshops, cafes, and restaurants has increased 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.”

Deputy Mayor, Chloe Smith added "People are voting with their feet and today you would struggle to find a precinct in Sydney that's busier or more vibrant than Enmore Road. With some of the best bars, pubs, restaurants, and performance venues anywhere in the country, alongside well-located public transport, it's the premier entertainment destination in NSW.

“Enmore Road is proof that Special Entertainment Precincts are helping to revive our night-time economy and live music scene.

“I hope to see more of these precincts established here in the Inner West so that the benefits can be shared across our community." 

The success of Enmore Road as the state’s first ever Special Entertainment Precinct has inspired 18 other councils across NSW to begin the process of establishing their own nightlife neighbourhood, including Burwood, the Northern Beaches, Waverley and the City of Sydney.

The Inner West Council is seeking to establish six additional SEPs in Leichardt, Rozelle, Balmain, two in Marrickville, and Dulwich Hill.

The NSW Government’s vibrancy agenda also includes changes to stop single neighbour noise complaints shutting local venues noise complainants shutting down venues, streamlining noise complaints, extending outdoor dining, supporting live music through Sound NSW, funding street events, supporting businesses to cooperate and market their local night-life precincts.

NSW Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham enthused “this is another exciting step in rebuilding Sydney’s night-time economy after the era of lockouts and lockdowns.

“The success in Enmore proves Sydney can have both a safe and a vibrant nightlife, catering for a wide range of ages, tastes and budgets.

“This is part of the government’s wider vibrancy agenda which is about rebuilding the night-time economy block-by-block, neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood. The success in Enmore shows that we’re well and truly on the way.