By Megan Gorrey
Sydney is losing its creative workers at four times the national rate, but the amount of space available to them is shrinking at an even more rapid pace.
The city’s cultural and creative workforce fell by 6 per cent in the decade to 2021, compared to a 1.37 per cent drop nationally, according to census data.
Daniel Bourne is co-founder of The Nest Creative Space in Alexandria, which houses artists including Marnie Ross. Credit: Louie Douvis
In a new report, the Committee for Sydney thinktank says inner-city Sydney lost nearly 30 per cent of its creative work areas in roughly the same period despite overall floor space surging by 15 per cent.
It warns that creative workers – and their cultural and economic benefits – will be squeezed out unless authorities create or protect space amid a wave of development.
The committee’s culture policy lead, Matt Levinson, said there was “less space than ever for making creative work”.
“Creativity is being priced out of Sydney due to chronic housing unaffordability, the cost of living and the cost of rehearsal spaces, art studios, recording facilities and other creative work space,” he said.
The report, launched on Thursday, said losing creative workers would strip the city of jobs, visitors and entertainment, while also reducing confidence in urban renewal and development.
“If creativity is priced out (or never priced in), we miss out on the opportunity for increased economic activity, community cohesion and simply the good life new residents aspire to,” it read.
Daniel Bourne and Missy Gilbert are familiar with the dearth and fragility of Sydney’s creative work spaces. They founded Alexandria’s The Nest Creative Space, which provides 74 spots for 90 artists.
But the premises, the second they have occupied on a demolition lease in the past 11 years, is earmarked for redevelopment and they must move to a nearby building by February.
“People just can’t find space. We have a waiting list. So many places have closed down,” Bourne said.
The committee is pushing for the protection of Sydney’s existing creative work spaces, and for more creative space to be provided on underutilised land and in new developments.
State and local governments controlled many of the relevant levers, it said, but significant change would also depend on private companies, philanthropists and creative space operators.
Gilbert said The Nest could be replicated in a larger setting that was “solidified on a long-term lease or a forever lease”.
“Long term, we’re thinking about how can we grow this beyond what we have and make it a precinct for culture, rather than a space for culture,” she said.
The NSW government and the City of Sydney Council have been grappling with how to provide affordable working spaces for artists and creatives facing soaring rents.
They unveiled plans this year for an independent charitable trust to secure rehearsal and studio space through property purchases or long-term leases as part of a broader strategy by the council to retain the city’s cultural lifeblood.
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