The City of Sydney announced its draft late-night trading planning controls to jump start Sydney’s nightlife and economy.

The proposals include extending 24-hour trading across the entire city centre, allowing shops, businesses and low-impact food and drink venues on high streets to trade until 2am, and new late-night trading areas in some of the city’s fastest-growing neighbourhoods including Barangaroo and Green Square. 

Moreover, the plan proposed to include a new cultural precinct in an industrial part of Alexandria and allow venues that hold performances and creative events in late-night trading areas to trade for an extra hour. 

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the proposed changes were the result of an unprecedented response from the community to the City of Sydney's first review in over a decade of the planning controls that determine where, when and until what time night-time activity can take place in Sydney.

"More than 10,000 people gave us their feedback and the overwhelming majority said they want Sydney to have a diverse and exciting night-time economy with events and activities for people of all ages and interests," the Lord Mayor said.

"What they do not want is a city that is unsafe or that shuts down as soon as the sun goes down. The changes we are proposing to our controls manage the balance between allowing well-managed venues to continue to trade, and any impacts on local neighbourhoods,” she added. The draft planning controls will be considered by Council on 19 November. If approved, they will be on public exhibition from 27 November 2018 to 8 February 2019.