The night time economy is an important part of the economic, social, cultural and environmental fabric of the City of Parramatta. Council is planning for a 24-hour CBD in the future, as well as later trading local centres that provide a variety of great experiences with appeal to a broad cross-section of our community.

The Parramatta Night City Framework, details how we will build a safe, diverse and exciting night city in Parramatta and its centres. On 10 February 2020, Council resolved to endorse a 5-year night time economy strategy for the City of Parramatta, the Parramatta Night City Framework 2020-2024 (PNCF).

What did you say?

During October and November in 2019, we sought your feedback to help us prioritise our actions to reflect our community’s aspirations and ensure we work constructively to make meaningful change to the city experience at night.

  • 86% of respondents who identified as female and 63% of respondents who identified as male, supported Council’s vision of a Parramatta night city
  • 85% either agreed or strongly agreed that Parramatta needs a more diverse range of night time activities outside of food and drink
  • 80% of respondents identified that safe and vibrant centres are most important when thinking about a night-time city

Who participated?

  • 12,000 branded coasters distributed to 11 venues across the Parramatta CBD
  • 1,176 individuals participated in the Parramatta Lanes Pop-Up
  • 11 one-on-one meetings
  • 155 survey responses received via Council’s engagement portal
  • 79% of respondents were residents of Parramatta

Engagement Results

Download to see what else we heard.

What’s next?

The finalised and endorsed framework will now be implemented in collaboration with partners and the community over the next five (5) years.

Read more about the framework here open in new window

The PNCF contains over 80 actions for Council across 6 focus areas:

  • Focus 1 – Planning for a future 24-hour CBD and late trading centres
  • Focus 2 – Parramatta as a centre of late-night business, leisure and culture
  • Focus 3 – A night city supported by infrastructure
  • Focus 4 – Promoting Parramatta as a thriving night time destination
  • Focus 5 – Keeping our city safe and engaging our community
  • Focus 6 – Parramatta as a leading night city


Thank you to all who provided meaningful feedback to help inform the Framework.

Frequently Asked Questions

The 'night time economy' is considered to be all economic activity that occurs between the hours of 5pm and 5am (outside of standard business or daylight hours).

The way the city looks and feels at 5pm is very different to how it looks and feels at 12am and beyond. We need to consider the differences in the city’s feel and activity as it gets later and darker. These important considerations need further investigation so trading hours and activities are planned appropriately.

In developing the draft framework, Council has listened to community comment from the Night Time Economy Discussion Paper (2017). The community told us the night time economy extends beyond economic and business activity and must consider all the elements that build the city at night. This includes community safety, public transport and accessibility, night friendly public space, arts and culture, as well as regulation.

The Parramatta Night City Framework has been the result of significant consultation with the community, local businesses, visitors, workers, young people and targeted stakeholders, brought together to develop the Night Time Economy Discussion Paper (2017). Further research was undertaken in September 2018 to validate the community sentiment expressed in the discussion paper. Refinements to the draft framework were made in response to all feedback received so far.

The draft framework has also considered local, national and international examples of best practice in planning for cities at night and aligns with NSW Government policies and programs.

Council has sought feedback on the draft framework from the wider community, including support for the proposed actions and policy matters as well as comments on potential gaps. Council is open to hearing any concerns around the framework, and will consider suggestions from the community for additional actions to be included.

Council recognises specific actions are required to address concerns around safety at night. The framework includes initiatives to address these concerns including increasing and upgrading Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in response to crime trends, improving lighting in key public spaces and reviewing alcohol-free zones. Actions to improve night time safety can be viewed in the FULL framework.

The finalised and endorsed framework will now be implemented in collaboration with partners and the community over the next five (5) years. The PNCF contains over 80 actions for Council across 6 focus areas:

  • Focus 1 – Planning for a future 24-hour CBD and late trading centres
  • Focus 2 – Parramatta as a centre of late-night business, leisure and culture
  • Focus 3 – A night city supported by infrastructure
  • Focus 4 – Promoting Parramatta as a thriving night time destination
  • Focus 5 – Keeping our city safe and engaging our community
  • Focus 6 – Parramatta as a leading night city

For more information about this project, please contact the project team via email NTE@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au or call (02) 9806 5538.