The iconic North Coast town of Byron Bay will become the first regional area to establish a trial Special Entertainment Precinct to promote and preserve its nightlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As part of the Minns Labor Government\u2019s ongoing rebuild of the state\u2019s night-time economy, Byron\u2019s famous pubs, performance spaces and restaurants will be future-proofed as a nightlife precinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Special Entertainment Precincts (SEPs) allow councils to change trading hours and sound rules within a designated area to allow shops, businesses and local hospitality and entertainment operators to thrive and protect them against neighbour complaints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Byron Bay precinct \u2013 bounded by beachfront Bay Street, Jonson Street and the rail corridor, with Middleton and Browning Streets \u2013 will protect the famous vibrancy of the town centre as the area experiences cost and real estate pressures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Within the precinct are time-honoured live music venues, the Backroom at the Great Northern Hotel, the Beach Hotel and The Rails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Backroom has hosted The White Stripes, PJ Harvey and Paul Kelly while Nirvana and Midnight Oil played the Beach Hotel in the past, while The Whitlams and The Cruel Sea have played at The Rails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Byron Bay attracted 2 million visitors in the 12 months to September 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Byron Shire Council is one of six regional councils in NSW that have put their hand up to explore establishing a SEP following the recent announcement that Burwood and Fairfield had been given the green light to establish their own precincts in Sydney\u2019s west.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Enmore Road became the first permanent SEP in December 2023, boosting night-time foot traffic, visitation and business revenue. The area was soon after named on Timeout\u2019s Top 20 coolest neighbourhoods in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Byron Shire Council has received a Special Entertainment Precinct Kickstart Grant of $162,800 from the NSW Government which supports the local council to consult with operators and the community to determine new opening hours and sound rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The establishment of a SEP then precludes the need for local businesses within its boundaries to go through the expensive and time-consuming process of submitting new development applications to trade later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the \u2018eyes wide open\u2019 provision of the vibrancy reforms, which will take effect later this year, councils are also required to notify new property buyers, residents and businesses that they are make an informed decision to live in a vibrant precinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SEPs are being established alongside the Minns Labor Government\u2019s vibrancy reforms which have:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Minister for Music and the Night-time Economy John Graham said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA night out in Byron Bay has been a special part of the lives of so many people whether they are locals to the area or visitors getting a taste of North Coast NSW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cByron Shire is an iconic destination and the establishment of a trial Special Entertainment Precinct will ensure the classic days continue well into the night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur commitment to rebuilding nightlife following the era of lockouts and useless red tape that strangled fun is by no means confined to Sydney, and Byron Bay will be one of a number of regional NSW centres to commit to their local nightlife with a Special Entertainment Precinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am delighted by the level of interest from councils across Sydney and NSW and in response, we have increased the funding pool to over $1.94 million, so more councils can establish SEPs in the coming months.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Byron Bay business chamber had been interested in the work of our Office for some time now and I am glad that there is a tangible project now on foot being led by the Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Special Entertainment Precinct model is not a one size fits all approach. It allows councils to work with businesses and local communities to put in place the right settings. I\u2019m keen to see how this progresses. \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n Byron Shire Council Mayor Sarah Ndiaye said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re so happy to receive this kickstart grant for a Special Entertainment Precinct in Byron Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is a unique opportunity to collaborate with our community \u2014 our artists, venues, businesses and residents \u2014 to shape a night-time economy that\u2019s vibrant, welcoming and truly reflective of Byron\u2019s creative spirit and coastal lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith so much change over the past few years, this funding comes at the right time to support fresh ideas, local jobs and a safe, inclusive after-dark culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe want to create a night-time experience that not only supports our local economy but also celebrates the essence of Byron \u2014 its people, its stories and its unmistakable energy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more information, visit: https:\/\/www.nsw.gov.au\/business-and-economy\/office-of-24-hour-economy-commissioner\/vibrancy-reforms\/seps<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The iconic North Coast town of Byron Bay will become the first regional area to establish a trial Special Entertainment Precinct to promote and preserve its nightlife. As part of the Minns Labor Government\u2019s ongoing rebuild of the state\u2019s night-time economy, Byron\u2019s famous pubs, performance spaces and restaurants will be future-proofed as a nightlife precinct. … Continue reading “Loving the nightlife as Byron Bay becomes first entertainment precinct outside Sydney”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32390,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32389\/revisions\/32390"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}