Someone Is Trying to Turn the Dymocks Building Rooftop Into a Garden Bar

For a city with such a warm climate, Sydney doesn't exactly have an over-supply of rooftop bars. But budding entrepreneur Lyndon Gannon wants to change that. And he has his sights set on the rooftop of the Dymocks Building, which, as you probably know, is smack-bang in the centre of the city on George Street.

According to Gannon, the space (pictured) would have capacity for 200 people. He believes that a bar area, small kitchen, greenery as per The Grounds of Alexandria and pergolas — to keep out the rain, when those famous Sydney downpours do hit — could all be part of the picture.

Which all sounds great, but, given that the rooftop's not been developed for public use before, it would need to jump through quite a few compliance hoops before gaining council approval. Gannon also cites "heritage and acquiring a DA for use, and construction difficulties" as issues standing in his way.

While no concrete plans are in motion yet, Gannon — who was the Liberal candidate for Balmain in 2015 and, having left politics, recently founded his own company, Pie in the Sky Partnerships — says he is in conversation with the building's manager and owners. Which is promising.

At the same time, he's investigating a bunch of other unusual, underutilised spaces for their hospitality potential. "Sydney has a lot of basement bars, but not many rooftop bars," Gannon says. "There's a gap in the market...There are so many dormant spaces that could be turned into exciting new places."

While the Dymocks dream could turn out to be merely a pie in the sky, activating unused spaces for the public is something we'll always chuck our support behind. Watch this space.