In case you missed it, the Inner West Sydney suburb of Enmore made the list of the Coolest Suburbs in the World in 2023. And while it’s easy in hindsight to say that Enmore has been trendy since way back (it’s true that it’s been home to some of Sydney’s best live entertainment venues and a strong line-up of varied dining options for a while now), that prize didn’t come without some work. In 2023, Enmore Road became Sydney’s first Special Entertainment Precinct – which meant a relaxation of sound regulations and extended trading hours allowing venues to host entertainment and late-night footpath dining without needing council approval. After the success of the Enmore Road pilot project (which led to a slew of new openings in the area), the NSW Government together with the Inner West Council are looking to more locations in Sydney to transform – and next on the hit list is Balmain’s Darling Street.
The announcement comes off the back of the nearby refurbished White Bay Power Station playing host to this year's huge Biennale of Sydney – the plan to “bring Balmain back to life” was announced by Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne at the official opening of this contemporary art festival.
Some of Sydney’s big-name hospitality groups have also just opened new venues in the area, including Casa Esquina and the refurbished Dry Dock Hotel – so Balmain seems to make sense as the Inner West’s next entertainment hotspot.
Darling Street will be the first of an additional six Special Entertainment Precincts set to open in the municiplailty over the coming years, with the further five zones including:
- The area of Rozelle connecting Darling Street and Victoria Road;
- Leichhard’s Norton Street;
- The main village of Dulwich Hill; and
- An already buzzing section of Marrickville.
The Special Entertainment Precinct policy is one of six reforms forming the government’s approach to reigniting Sydney’s nightlife. The impact of the policy will vary per precinct, but will generally allow venues to operate later into the night (with extended trading hours precinct-wide, and an average additional trading hour extension of one to two hours for live music venues); host entertainment without council approval; offer more late-night on-street dining; and not have venues close based on isolated noise complaints.
The changes to Darling Street won’t come into play immediately – there will be a month-long consultation process with the local businesses – but based on the Mayor’s comments, it’s looking very likely that Darling Street is in for a revamp.
While the Special Entertainment Precinct policy is available for all NSW councils to voluntarily submit for, the Inner West Council is the first to adopt it – though a recent vote by Waverley Council suggests that Bondi Junction could be the first area in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs to take advantage of the policy.