Randwick Council passes sweeping changes to retail hours, cuts red tape for music and cultural events

Shops would be allowed to trade later and hold evening events with live music and food under changes passed by one Sydney council. Here’s what the new controls would look like.

Shops will be allowed to trade later and red tape will be cut for live music and cultural events in sweeping changes planned for Sydney’s east.

Randwick mayor Dylan Parker has led a push for a more lively night time economy in his LGA, which covers Clovelly in the north down to La Perouse, including the suburbs of Coogee and Maroubra.

Under the amendments to Randwick Council’s Local Environmental Plan recently passed at an extraordinary meeting, “low impact” businesses can trade from 7am to 11pm, seven days a week, without needing development consent.

Examples of “low impact” businesses include fashion retailers, hairdressers, pharmacies, bookshops, beauty salons, florists, newsagency, banks and travel agencies.

According to the LEP, the activity must comply with any conditions of development consent such as noise management, parking, loading and waste.

Under the planned changes, bars and other venues would be able to hold events of up to 100 people without approval. Picture: Julian Andrews

Separate new controls would allow “small scale cultural activities” in neighbourhood and local centres without development consent between 7am and 10pm.

According to Randwick Council, “small scale cultural activities” include live entertainment – such as music, film, theatre, comedy or dance – and art, craft, design and technology.

Shop owners in Coogee weren’t sure there’d be enough support for late-night shopping

Up to 100 people would be allowed to attend these events in shops, restaurants, community venues and even office spaces, so long as they do not exceed seven hours a day and 26 days a year.

Licenced venues will be allowed to sell alcohol at these events, but a retail premises or other unlicensed space would have to apply for a license under the Liquor and Gaming Act.

Business owners and staff were divided on the impact the changes would make and the capacity to find staff to work late with wide-scale shortages.

Kat Thomson from the Cargo Store clothing shop on Coogee’s Coogee Bay Road doubted there would be enough people interested in shopping after dark more than one night a week.

Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker has called for a 24-hour economy in his LGA. Picture: John Appleyard

“We’re open until 6pm every night and we aren’t very busy after 5:30pm,” she said.

“Most people around here are out to drink and eat at night, not shop, especially until 11pm.”

But the plans excited Maroubra dressmaker Rita Mazloum.

Ms Mazloum, who runs a home studio, Couture by Rita, said she would like to see more live music in her area and shops stay opening later.

“A lot of things around here close too early, so if things were open later it would attract more people to our beautiful area,” she said.

Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker said it was currently difficult for small business to creatively re-use their premises for night time events, giving the example of a bookstore wanting to hold an evening launch with food and live music.

“In some cases it would require a new development application that could take several months,” he said.

“It’s all about having the mix of retail, food and music without venues begging for council to let them trade.”

The changes to Randwick Council’s Local Environmental Plan will need to be approved by the state government in February.