The NSW Government has introduced a new swathe of “vibrancy reforms” as part of its continued efforts to revive Sydney’s struggling nightlife industry.
It’s welcome news for a city whose main attraction past 10pm is the local kebab shop (rightly so), with the government this week announcing additions to the “vibrancy reforms” program that it first started rolling out back in July.
One new portion of the nightlife-reviving program was introduced to parliament on Tuesday, and will make it harder for residents who move near pubs and music venues to make noise complaints.
Dubbed the “eyes wide open” clause, the reform will require people who plan on moving to designated entertainment precincts to formally acknowledge that they’ll be living close to an area of late-night activity, with the goal of preventing residents from making complaints about being surprised by noise.
As a PSA, that clause only applies to those living in or nearby a designated late-night area, so you’ll still need to gift a customary bottle of vino to your neighbour if you plan on having a complaint-free house party in the ‘burbs.
While the “eyes wide open” reform doesn’t take away the right for noise complainers to do their thing, it does change how those complaints are responded to by local councils, which Night-time Economy minister John Graham said will ease the “friction” between venues and their neighbours and restore the balance between a healthy nightlife and community life.
Graham said the clause has already been successful when rolled-out in Wollongong, and that it will allow Sydneysiders to “know which bits of the suburbs should be lively” and “which bits we want to be quieter.”
Alongside the noise complaint change, the government also launched a grants program as part of the “vibrancy reforms”. The $1 million grant will be given to councils to create more nightlife and entertainment precincts in the coming years, and while no suburbs have received the grant yet, I propose anywhere with a Bunnings Warehouse so we can continue raving with snag on a roll in hand.
Both the noise complaint clause and the grant add to the government’s years-long efforts to bring back the sorely missed je ne sais quoi of Sydney’s nightlife.
In August, NSW Premier Chris Minns proposed a ban on the “useless” law that requires pub-goers to be seated while drinking, freeing them to stand up (if they’re sober enough) and enjoy a well-deserved bevvy in the vicinity of outdoor venues.
Elsewhere, the “vibrancy reforms” have also made it harder for a single noise complaint to result in a venue being shut down (big L for party-poopers), and have seen live music venues enjoy extended trading hours.
“From binning restrictions on outdoor dining to encouraging more local entertainment zones, our reforms back live music and will help get Sydney’s nightlife going again,” Minns said in a press conference this week.
All this noise complaint talk has me excited to clock off and blast my speakers alone in my bedroom… at a very demure and cutesey volume, of course.
Lead image: Mark Metcalfe/Zuffa LLC
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