Parramatta Road: The New New Orleans?

As an Annandale local, I can avow that Parramatta Road is a deeply depressing commute. Walking to the Johnston Street bus stop opposite shuttered shopfronts and treeless footpaths makes me feel like I have no life.

But Leichhardt mayor and potential hero Darcy Byrne hopes to correct this sad situation, with his exciting proposal to transform the ugly blight of Parramatta Road from Sydney University to Lewisham into a hub of live music and nightlife, not unlike the venue-lined thoroughfares of New Orleans or New York's Broadway. Think music venues, comedy clubs and intimate bars open into the small hours.

The proposal comes in the wake of the regrettable passing of the iconic and beloved Annandale Hotel, which went into receivership this summer after a slew of legal battles with neighbouring residents over noise levels.

Now Byrne is taking measures to ensure other venues in the area don't share the Annandale's fate. These measures include the Good Neighbour policy, allowing for higher levels of noise and much later trading hours, and a plan to rezone Parramatta Road as Sydney's first dedicated live music and cultural precinct.

If you think about it, the strip's current attributes lend itself perfectly to this proposal: near to the CBD but not overly residential, Parramatta Road offers easy public transport access and has a pre-existing community of musical instrument retailers and recording studios. If the plan goes ahead, Byrne could "transform this roadway into rock-and-roll central", a development that could do great things for both homegrown musicians and the young 'uns of the inner west alike.

Image of New Orleans by benswing.