Mixing business and pleasure

Mixing business and pleasure
Image: Anna Plunkett and Luke Sales of Romance Was Born

A City of Sydney initiative could see William Street in Darlinghurst become home to the next Archibald Prize winner or another Aussie fashion sensation. The council has invited artists, writers, designers and composers to apply for subsidised housing along the strip.

“For Sydney to be globally competitive we need a vibrant community that values creativity and innovation- and for that we need to support our artists” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“Programs like this attract talented, original thinkers to Sydney and further cement our reputation as a cultural and creative centre.”

In the first round, the City is offering six one-bedroom apartments at 113-115 William Street in Darlinghurst for 12 months at an “affordable” weekly rate of $250. The median unit rental in Sydney is $480.

“The unit offers a kitchen, one bedroom and a bathroom, plus a space where the artist can work from the residence” a council spokesperson told City News.

“There has been extensive collaboration with the community in regards to this program and the feedback received has been that artists across Sydney are in desperate need of affordable housing to live and work.”

The initiative follows the success of the City’s Creative Spaces program on Oxford Street which was launched in early 2012.

“Since the program launch in 2012, two council owned properties at 101-111 and 113-115 William Street, Darlinghurst have been transformed into a mix of commercial and affordable spaces for cultural and creative enterprises” the City of Sydney spokesperson said.

The units will be the latest addition to the City’s expanding creative hub that is William Street. The buildings also house HUB Sydney and the fashion label Romance Was Born.

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