Former mayor of Leichhardt and fiery Facebook post machine Darcy Byrne has worked in conjunction with Sydney Fringe Festival on a drastic proposal meant to give the arts and music scenes in Sydney’s inner west a shot in the arm.
It would allow all types of property zoning, save for residential, the opportunity to convert into a small-scale arts venue without a single scrap of development approval paper needing to be signed.
A radical plan has been put forward by Darcy Byrne and Sydney Fringe Festival, aimed at patching the damage inflicted upon the Sydney arts scene in recent years.
“The arts scene is being strangled in red tape,” Mr Byrne told the ABC.
“I think it would be much more sensible to come up with a simple set of rules that would mean we can greatly expand the number of opportunities that young performers and artists have to display their work in the inner west.”
Currently, temporary approval as an art space can cost the property owner up to $6,000, even if they only intend to use the space for a fortnight.
If Byrne’s proposal goes through, spaces like cafes, warehouses, retail stores and office blocks could all become live music venues at the drop of a coin, without the red tape.
Read the full story on ABC News.
