THE NAKED CITY: THE BURDEN OF COMPLIANCE – City Hub Sydney

Whilst there will no doubt be a full investigation into the disastrous fire at the heritage listed old hat factory in Surry Hills, one glaring question stands out. Why was the building not fully secured while it awaited its multi million dollar renovation? Surely it would have been relatively easy to board up any street level entrances, even installing alarms and security cameras to prevent trespassers.

As it stood, prior to the fire it seems entry to the building was relatively easy whether you were a homeless person looking to bed down for the night or a bunch of school kids out for a lark. We obviously don’t know the full story at this stage and that includes how the fire actually started. We are entitled to ask, especially those in the adjoining buildings who were so badly affected, whose responsibility it was to make sure the building was secure and fire safe whist it awaited its makeover.

These days, so called council compliance in both the CBD and the greater Sydney area comes down with a very heavy hand, especially when it involves buildings and residences. Breach any of a myriad of regulations and you’ll soon find yourself being slapped with an often exorbitant fine or, worse still, hauled into court.  Many of these rulings are welcome and expected by the community, especially when dodgy developers do the wrong thing, but others seem harsh and overly punitive.

We often hear lots of talk and see a huge number of dollars allocated to making Sydney a vibrant international city. Millions are spent by the State Government on festivals like Vivid or hosting major events like the forthcoming partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (nothing like a bit of  violence to lift spirits!). Yet there was once a time when the vibrancy of the city did not depend on a massive injection of government funds and a healthy element of laissez faire prevailed.

By laissez faire I mean turning a blind eye, going soft on compliance or simply being kept in the dark when it comes to minor illegal activity taking place. The ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000s in Sydney were almost open slather when it came to running a clandestine venue. As long as you maintained a relatively low profile both the police and the council stayed away, either blissfully unaware or preoccupied with more pressing matters.

There were pop up bars, makeshift cinemas, dance parties and other events – often held in old warehouses, squats or even private homes. Without the prying eyes of the internet and mobile phones they managed to operate almost entirely by word of mouth with a real camaraderie amongst those who supported them. Occasionally the fun police would get a sniff and eventually close them down but most managed to survive within an underground culture that injected real life into the sad arsed city.

Names that come to mind include ICE (the Institute Of Contemporary Events) in Darlinghurst, the Warren Lanfranchi Memorial Discotheque in Chippendale, the Gonzo Lounge in Enmore, the Graffiti Hall Of Fame in Alexandria, the Gunnery Squats in Woolloomooloo, the Midnight Star in Homebush and numerous rave parties in a variety of often old industrial venues.

Try running one of these venues today and you would be besieged by an army of compliance officers ready to rain on you like the mountain of  bricks that came tumbling down at the hat factory fire. Meanwhile all manner of shabby construction practices go unchecked and legitimate Sydney music venues are suffocated by unreasonable noise complaints and petty licensing regulations.

It’s unlikely anything will really change in the immediate years to come and I would never want to advocate illegality. However if there is a loophole you can exploit, plus a good chance you will get away with it, start planning your clandestine event now. Just don’t put the info up on Facebook or Tik Tok!