Allowing for outdoor wining and dining in CBD precinct will bolster night time economy

FURTHER activating the Austin Ln and Spain Pl precinct is one of the best ways to improve our city

Manager Bree Richards as Babylon Berlin are one of four venues in the Austin Ln precinct who council are set to approve to begin trading on the road reserve in the precinct. Picture Glenn Campbell

ACTIVATING the Austin Lane and Spain Place precinct by allowing businesses to serve patrons on the street is one of the best ways to improve our city.

The idea paints a pretty picture – sipping on some cocktails, tasting some tapas and chewing down a burger in a classy, fresh precinct in the still, warm Darwin Dry as the shade of the sky turns from shades of blue to shades of orange.

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If Darwin’s elected members approve staff recommendations and can make this a reality it will be another feather in their cap, following MyDarwin vouchers, the Green Army, and eScooters, in what is showing to be a busy election year.

It will help build Darwin’s entertainment scene and put another pin on the map, helping bring people to the Top End to experience our unique evenings in a completely different way. As Matt Mulga put so well, not activating the strip would be a slur on taxpayers’ money and a waste of what is now shaping up to be a trendy, stimulating quarter of the CBD.

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This is one we can’t get wrong and by the looks of it, council is coming to play. 2021 could become one of the most successful dry seasons for these hospitality venues yet.

But the process isn’t over. Council still need to approve the outdoor dining permits, the liquor commission will still need to be navigated, and neighbouring businesses and community groups may still have their say.