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Alcohol & Licensed Premises

Context

The City of Sydney accommodates over 1700 licensed venues and contains the greatest concentration of 24 hour trading premises in Australia. The City is home to several entertainment precincts including The Rocks, Darling Harbour, Chinatown, George Street, Oxford Street, Kings Cross, Newtown and Glebe.

The City of Sydney has a long history of supporting safety enhancement in and around licensed premises through the Liquor Consultative Committees, Accords with Licensed Premises, monitoring compliance with development application conditions and joint operations with Police and the Department of Gaming and Racing.

City of Sydney's submission to the 2005 Rewrite of NSW Liquor Laws

The City has prepared a submission to the Rewrite of NSW Liquor Laws. The proposed legislation is designed to support the Government’s program to reduce the harm associated with alcohol abuse, and to promote a culture of responsible service and consumption of alcohol.

The City of Sydney believes that compliant, well-managed and regulated licensed premises have a central role in the day, evening and late night economy, adding to the vibrancy and appeal of the City. As such we support an effective legislative framework which seeks to improve public amenity, health and safety, and reduce the negative impacts of alcohol.

The City's submission can be downloaded as a PDF document, and address the following issues:

  • The cumulative impacts of licensed premises on crime.
  • Public participation and liquor licence applications.
  • Public participation and noise and disturbance complaints.
  • Impacts of an administrative based system.
  • Social impact assessment provisions.
  • Incident register provisions.
  • Liquor licensing accord provisions.

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City of Sydney’s submission to the 2003 NSW Summit on Alcohol Abuse

The City of Sydney is concerned about minimising the possible impact of alcohol on the community and the public domain, and is committed to supporting initiatives which seek to address this harm.

The City of Sydney prepared four (4) submissions for the consideration of the NSW Alcohol Summit. You cand download all four submissions as PDF documents.

The Final Report from the Alcohol Summit can be viewed online at
www.alcoholsummit.nsw.gov.au.

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Drug and Alcohol Strategy

The City of Sydney has developed a Drug and Alcohol Strategy 2007 - 2012, to address drug and alcohol related harms strategically.

The Strategy defines the role of the City and provides direction for drug and alcohol related programs and policies in the City of Sydney Local Government Area. The Drug & Alcohol Strategy aims to improve safety for City residents, businesses and visitors, as well as people who use and misuse drugs and alcohol.

More information >>

Kings Cross Licensed Premises Research

Council has commissioned research into the nature and impacts of licensed premises in Kings Cross entertainment precinct. The research has considered demographics, the business mix and economic, social and historical context.

Key findings from the report include;

  • There are 65 licensed premises in the Kings Cross precinct. More than half of these are licensed restaurants. Nearly half of the remaining liquor licenses are for hotels, nightclubs or theatres.
  • Of the 65 licensed premises, only three venues trade on a 24 hour basis.
  • Licensed venues add to the “colour, vibrancy and activity” of Kings Cross, and the majority are well managed and operate without incident.
  • There is a strong correlation between alcohol-related crime and late trading licensed premises in Kings Cross. Despite this, residents in the City East area feel safer than the average City of Sydney resident.
  • High densities of late night licensed premises generate cumulative impacts (ie: crime, litter, noise). These impacts are amplified by a lack of late night transport options. The work of the Kings Cross Licensing Accord in attempting to mitigate these impacts via voluntary staggering of closing hours was noted.
  • Key stakeholders interviewed in the research identified that Kings Cross is approaching maximum carrying capacity for late trading hotels.
  • ‘Saturation’ or the exceeding of an area’s ‘carrying capacity’ for licensed venues should be determined in terms of saturation of impacts rather than the number or ratio of licensed premises in a specific area.
  • The report recommends that further research, joint operations, advocacy and improved information sharing between Council, NSW Police and the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing occur.

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Last Updated: Wednesday 14 October, 2009

Please Note:
While care is taken to ensure accuracy, the City of Sydney cannot guarantee that information expressed here is correct and recommends that users exercise their own skill and care with respect to its use. The City of Sydney makes no warranty or undertaking, whether expressed or implied, nor does it assume any legal liability, whether direct or indirect.