Newcastle could soon have a designated entertainment precinct with special rules governing noise levels and trading hours as the state Labor government pushes ahead with plans to revive the live music industry.
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The chief executive of the Hospitality and Racing group in the Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade, Anthony Keon, said during a visit to Newcastle on Tuesday that the new government was prioritising special entertainment precincts in Newcastle and several other cities outside Sydney.
The precincts, proposed by the previous government in 2021, allow local councils to set noise levels in a defined area and override rules on amplified music normally in place under the Liquor Act.
The Liquor Act allows extended trading hours and licence fee reductions for venues offering live music and other arts and cultural events.
"Part of the new government's priorities are to set up special entertainment precincts [in] Newcastle, Central Coast, Wollongong and Tamworth for the Tamworth Music Festival," Mr Keon said.
"We're still in the planning stage and understanding what the government's priorities are. We'll shortly be moving to implementation.
"There are a lot of good incentives in terms of later trading hours, streamlining of noise complaint processes."
Mr Keon and Gaming and Racing Minister David Harris were in Newcastle for a "regulatory roadshow" with industry stakeholders at Hunter Stadium.
Mr Keon said Mr Harris and Labor's Minister for Arts, Night Time Economy and Music, John Graham, were "keen to get a greater take-up" of the special entertainment precincts.
Inner West Council is running an entertainment precinct trial in Enmore Road, Newtown, and Lake Macquarie City Council piloted a special entertainment precinct in Wangi Wangi for three weeks in April last year.
"It's something we see can really driving the live music sector and that late-night economy," Mr Keon said.
"The government's committed to that, so that's something we're working on."
Mr Graham said during a pre-election visit to Newcastle in March that Labor would work with councils to balance the needs of residents with the goal to invigorate the live music industry.
"[We want to] manage the conflict between residents and venues and make sure that it isn't a practical problem," he said at the time.
Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp has been a strong advocate of relaxed late-night trading restrictions in the city.
Newcastle and Lake Macquarie councils have strategies promoting a more vibrant night-time economy.
City of Newcastle's 2018 After Dark strategy identified seven precincts supporting night-time activity: East End, Civic-CBD, West End, Hamilton, Darby Street, Honeysuckle and Junction-Merewether.
The strategy named Hamilton and the West End as possible music destinations, though Newcastle West's most popular music pub, the Cambridge Hotel, is poised to close down to make way for apartments.
Late last year the council adopted a master plan to better develop and activate a "nationally significant" cultural precinct based around Civic.
A City of Newcastle spokesperson said on Tuesday that the council had not met yet with Hospitality and Racing representatives nor spoken to the new government about a special entertainment precinct.
"It's critical that any discussion regarding a special entertainment precinct must be state-led, with the Department of Planning and Environment an obvious lead agency," the spokesperson said.
"A good starting point for any discussion should be on how the NSW government can support local businesses in the Newcastle CBD who exist within the boundaries captured in the Newcastle Cultural Precinct Concept Masterplan, which was adopted by the elected council late last year."
Lake Macquarie City Council said on Tuesday that it had "no current plans to establish permanent special entertainment precincts".
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Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
