Parramatta is getting a glow-up. Plans to transform the Western Sydney CBD into a cultural and creative hub by 2050 were revealed earlier this year – with a focus on earning the area a place on the world stage. Now, we’re learning more about the roadmap for getting there, with a major focus on boosting the area’s nighttime economy. Under new Late Night Trading development controls, businesses in Parramatta’s CBD are now able to apply to operate around the clock.
The new controls, allowing businesses to operate 24 hours a day, will not only bring a lot more life to Parramatta’s nighttime economy, but they’ll also provide a heap more certainty to businesses keen to expand, and investors looking to pump money into the area. The rules were introduced at the end of June, meaning businesses operating within Parramatta’s CBD have already begun applying for 24-hour trading approvals. According to the council’s statements, we should begin to see a range of businesses operating around the clock – from nightclubs to cafés.
"We want Parramatta to be a place where, at any time of day and night, you can get a great meal, go dancing, enjoy arts and culture, grab a coffee and shop,” says City of Parramatta Lord Mayor Cr Pierre Esber.
As well as the simplified extended trading-hour application process, Parramatta Council is pursuing the possibility of turning Parramatta Square and Church Street’s ‘Eat Street’ area into a government-certified Special Entertainment Precinct. What does that mean? It means every business within a designated area will benefit from extended opening hours, with further opening hour extensions offered to businesses offering live entertainment, and new rules around noise complaints to prevent venues from being shut down early. Enmore Road is the first Special Entertainment Precinct in Sydney, and if that's anything to go by, things are looking good for Church Street.
The focus on establishing Parramatta as a major entertainment precinct is just one of six key city-shaping initiatives forming the Parramatta 2050 vision, which also includes a focus on boosting employment opportunities, supporting creativity, fostering and elevating First Nations excellence, improving the precinct’s education offering and modelling sustainable urban development. Among these plans, there are plans for a new university campus at Westmead; a Health and Innovation District (in Westmead and North Parramatta); a Headquarters District in the CBD (set to play host to some of global businesses and key government departments); a Model City District (around Camellia and Rosehill) modelling green infrastructure and a regenerative approach to urban living; a Future Jobs District in Silverwater (a hub for new industries); and a Celebration District at Sydney Olympic Park.
By allowing businesses to trade throughout the night, Parramatta Council is seeking to establish the area as “a true global city with a thriving nighttime economy”.
Keen to learn more about plans for the area? The Parramatta 2050 document will be on exhibition for public comment until Friday, July 19 – you can view the plans and have your say over here.
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