NSW Government Hoping To Revitalise Sydney Nightlife With New Vibrancy Reforms

The New South Wales state government is hoping to return Sydney’s nightlife to its former glory with the introduction of new Vibrancy Reforms.

Introduced to Parliament yesterday (Tuesday, October 15th), the proposed reforms aim to further cut the red tape which has "tipped the balance against live music and community life and in favour of neighbour complaints designed to turn the dial down on culture and entertainment".

The full list of reforms aim totake on a number of confusing aspects about Sydney's nightlife, focusing on ending restrictions regarding outfoor dining approvals and the inability to stand while drinking outside, and ending "the antiquated rule that prevents people living within five kilometres of a registered club from signing in without first becoming a member".

Most notably though, one of the headlines from these reforms include requiring prospective residents to be notified they are moving into an existing entertainment zone.

This proposed change would see the ‘Special Entertainment Precincts’ framework altered to include an ‘eyes wide open’ clause which would hopefully deter noise complaints that could result in potential shutdowns, or as the NSW Government puts it, “reduce the friction between venues and their neighbours”.

Other proposed reforms also include removing restrictions on licensed venues that include a 'no entertainment' clause and dictate the specific genre and number of musicians that can play, and also amending the Major Events Act to make it easier to support foundational events like Sydney Festival and Vivid Sydney.

In a statement, Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham said that these reforms are about building communities which can come together and thrive at night, rather than retreat behind closed doors.

“It is about cutting the red tape that has strangled nightlife over time and made local live music and performance at venues in many cases the exception rather than the rule,” he explains.

“We are rebuilding Sydney and regional centres across the state neighbourhood by neighbourhood and giving councils the tools to use the special entertainment precinct model.

“People moving into an established entertainment zone will now do so with their eyes wide open through property search documents and we expect this will reduce conflict between neighbours and venues over time,” he adds.