More than a quarter of all assaults in pubs and clubs happen in the worst six hours every week - between midnight and 3am on Saturdays and Sundays - lending support for calls to reduce pub trading hours.

The police union called for a cut in opening times to curb alcohol-related violence after the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research revealed the worst hours to the Herald yesterday...

Read the full article in The Sydney Morning Herald here

When: Tuesday 23rd March 2010, 7.00pm to 9.00pm

Where: The Beauchamp Hotel, Corner of Oxford & South Dowling Streets. Upstairs in the Terrace Bar

Organiser: 2010 in Transition - Transition Sydney Inc

Why this meeting?

Our 2010 area – Darlinghurst-Surry Hills has many challenges – things that don’t work that well: - divided by a heavily trafficked, pedestrian and bike unfriendly Oxford Street; loss of character and attraction needed to support a vibrant day-time local economy on the Oxford Street strip and nearby streets; Significant drug, alcohol, violence and alcohol problems impacting both residents and business owners.

At the same time our area has many natural assets – bright, well-intentioned people, social diversity, great location close to the CBD, harbour etc, accessibility to public transport and so on. And we are motivated to work on overcoming the problems to make this area more liveable for residents and more viable for local businesses. At the same time, a growing number of us are realising that over the medium to longer term we face great challenges from the combined impacts of peak oil and climate change, which threaten even fundamental items like food and energy affordability and security of supply. We are also motivated to be proactive in exploring and pursuing ways we can help our local community become more resilient and self-reliant faced with these threats.

We are inspired by the possibilities represented by such local initiatives as Transition Towns, Sustainability Street, the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, Local First, Food Connect, Permaculture groups and others. All these combine a strong ethical basis, deep commitment to sustainable living and pragmatic, practical solutions that empower community members to work together and build local economic and social resilience. We are also encouraged by the strong commitment to sustainability of the City of Sydney and its Sustainable Sydney 2030 vision and strategy, and are keen to get on with it.

And we ask ourselves the question – can we emulate these successful models of change? Can we do this in our area? (The answer, of course is: “Yes we can!”).

So we invite all the people who live here and/or make their living here to join us in exploring what we can achieve by working together. We know that the right people will come.

The East Sydney Neighbourhood Association (ESNA) is a supporter of Food Connect Sydney - a Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) enterprise that connects farmers with city folk.

Food Connect believes in food with integrity and cares about where our food comes from, who has grown it and the impact on the environment. They source ecologically grown produce from local and regional farmers, and deliver boxes to clusters of customers in the city and the suburbs of Sydney.

If you become a subscriber you will receive a regular box of fresh fruit and vegetables that you pick up from ESNA's office (corner of Palmer & Burton Streets) at 7pm on Mondays.

To find out more visit Food Connect Sydney

The Colombian Hotel, located at 117-125 Oxford Street, has lodged a Development Application (D/2007/2517/B) to continue 24 hour trading for a further 5 year period. The venue is a 'Level One' declared premises under the NSW Government's ranking of most violent venues in the state with 19 or more assaults recorded over a 12 month period. 

The City of Sydney Late Night Trading Development Control Plan specifies that extended trading hours are a privilege and will only be granted based on the success of any previous trial period and the ongoing demonstration of good management.

Sydney Sustainable Markets Inc, established by a local resident, is seeking approval to run a weekly Farmers Market at Taylor Square (north) & part of Forbes Street. The market will operate on Saturdays, weekly, between the hours of 8am – 1pm. It’s planned to commence on 17 April 2010.

We urge you to write to Council in support of this DA by emailing Matthew Girvan, the Council planning officer managing this application, before 18th March 2010.

The organisers are genuinely interested in creating a local, down-to-earth, community based market, rather than a big corporate endeavour, with the following aims:

• To create a genuine Farmers Market which adheres to the Australian Farmers Market Association Charter
• To celebrate the values of Slow Food – good, clean & fair
• To provide local 2010 residents with access to quality, farm fresh produce at moderate prices
• To promote the support of sustainable agriculture practices thereby eliminating the use pesticides/chemical fertilisers and reducing emissions
• To facilitate an educational platform for sustainable living practices within an urban context
• To deepen community spirit within 2010 and provide a lively meeting space for residents to gather together
• To support the revitalisation of the Taylor Square/Oxford Street Cultural Quarter and increase enjoyment and usage of the public spaces
• To increase the profile of Taylor Square and Oxford Street Cultural Quarter within greater Sydney