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Planning Minister Paul Scully has intervened to allow an inner Sydney cultural venue to operate around the clock, overriding a decision from bureaucrats to scale back trading hours at the harbourfront site after residents voiced concerns about late-night noise.
The NSW government had originally proposed 24/7 operating hours at the Cutaway arts and culture space, which is scheduled to reopen underneath Barangaroo’s headland park within months following a $100 million renovation.
The proposal sparked a backlash from residents in Barangaroo and Millers Point, who were worried about crowd control and noise disturbances from after-dark events. Their opposition prompted Placemaking NSW, the government agency overseeing the development, to cap operating hours for most events at midnight, with limited exceptions for major occasions such as New Year’s Eve.
In a blow to dissenting residents, Scully this week reversed that decision on grounds the Labor government was committed to its “vibrancy” reforms, which are aimed at boosting the 24-hour economy by reducing restrictions on live music, hospitality and entertainment at NSW venues.
“The new and improved Cutaway will support everything from festivals and installations to community gatherings and contemporary performance and following my request, it can operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week as needed,” Scully said.
“We will be maximising the benefit of this venue given the significant taxpayer investment made to allow it to host events that support Sydney’s growing events calendar.
“The Cutaway was created as a first-class event venue and should be allowed to function as one.”
Millers Point Community Resident Action Group president Anne Crabb said the group was “extremely disappointed” by Scully’s decision. She said the government had “overspent” on the venue and now was “desperate to find any excuse to keep the place open 24/7”.
“We believe the extended hours at this enormous, cavernous venue next to Millers Point homes will result in the erosion of residential amenity, particularly during the sensitive midnight to 7am period,” she said.
The group requested a permanent decibel monitoring system and a dedicated complaints hotline.
Crabb previously said the venue’s scale and design had heightened concerns about the cumulative effects of late events, particularly noise, crowd control and disruption to residential amenity.
“Unlike current 24/7 venues such as The Crown casino and The Star, this is a huge and open cavernous space located on the harbourfront,” she said.
“Barangaroo can and should be a vibrant cultural precinct, but this must not come at the expense of our long-standing residential community who will have to deal with the late-night impacts.”
Other residents and strata representatives from nearby apartments worried about sleep disturbance and voiced concerns the semi-enclosed structure could amplify sounds and make them reverberate.
Once completed, the renovated Cutaway will include multiple event spaces carved into the headland beneath Barangaroo Reserve, creating a space to host large art installations, performances, festivals, concerts, gala dinners, fashion shows and events including Vivid Sydney.
Originally, Placemaking NSW argued 24-hour operations would advance the state’s vision to boost nightlife, tourism and Sydney’s global standing. The Cutaway’s location next to the Barangaroo metro station was cited as a major advantage, allowing for extended trading hours supported by improved public transport access. Metro services generally operate from about 4am to midnight.
Placemaking NSW used its response to public submissions on the proposal to wind back the operating hours to 8am to midnight, with some noise controls from 10pm. Scully wrote to the agency on Monday directing staff to reinstate the original plan for 24/7 trading at the venue.
Concerns around noise were best dealt with through individual event conditions of consent, not restricting operating hours, as has been done for other event venues, the government said.
NSW 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Michael Rodrigues supported the extended hours, while Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou had described the curfew as “disappointing”.
“If you choose to live in Barangaroo – in the heart of a global city – a level of noise should be expected,” Nicolaou said.
“We desperately need to ensure there are enough venues and facilities that are open 24/7.”
Construction of The Cutaway is more than 85 per cent complete. The first events are expected to start by July.
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David Barwell is an urban affairs reporter for The Sydney Morning HeraldConnect via email.From our partners
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