After being suffocated by the chokehold of the lockout laws, Sydney’s creative scene might start breathing a little easier thanks to a new initiative being put forth by the City of Sydney council.
The council’s New Ideas for Old Buildings discussion paper looks at ways the barriers precluding investment in the city’s arts scene can be razed in order to breathe new life into the city’s old buildings.
Whilst the council did not specifically mention the lockouts, Lord Mayor Clover Moore acknowledged that much of the city’s regulations governing building and development are outdated and prohibitive.
“Cities across Australia, and all over the world, are facing the challenge of adapting 20th century planning laws to today’s diverse creative scene,” she said.
“We need to develop smarter regulations that maintain high safety standards, but also provide clear and cost-effective ways to adapt older buildings to the needs of a contemporary creative city.”
“The creative sector is vital to Sydney’s future. NSW is home to 40 per cent of Australia’s creative industries workforce, which contributes more than $1.4 billion to the state economy – and the bulk of this is in the City of Sydney area.”
“This discussion paper proposes a range of potential solutions. What we need is for other levels of government, industry groups and the wider cultural community to contribute their own ideas on how we can work together to reduce the barriers facing the creative sector.”
The paper is hoping to result in more studios, workspaces, galleries, pop-up theatres, and other creative spaces in the City of Sydney and outlines six actions that could help foster a vibrant creative community.
The paper is open for feedback throughout March and April. You can view the paper or make a submission via the Sydney Your Say website. The paper is on public exhibition until 29th April and Council is encouraging feedback.
“When it comes to creative space, planning and building issues can be complex – involving federal, state and local law,” said live music taskforce member, urban geographer and planner Dr Kate Shaw.
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“Internationally, we’re seeing artists moving into older buildings and giving them a new purpose – often, that’s the only way they can access affordable buildings. We’ve seen places like Berlin and London changing their regulatory systems in response to that trend.
“In Australia, however, our building and planning systems make things incredibly difficult. In effect, turning an old warehouse or shopfront into a theatre or gallery draws you into the same regulatory pathways we use for a large nightclub or sports stadium.
“We need a regulatory system designed for small-scale cultural uses – not just bars or pop-up shops, but something that covers a much broader array of cultural activity.”
