Casey residents want more live music venues in the municipality.By Glen Atwell
A SEVERE shortage of local night time entertainment venues is forcing Casey residents to travel to the city and then pay for an expensive taxi ride home.
A survey conducted by Casey Council’s Night Time Entertainment Taskforce has revealed that residents want more bars, pubs and nightclubs in the municipality.
The night time task force has put forward a number of recommendations to council to improve facilities and encourage entertainment developers to set up shop in the area.
In the short term, council will conduct an immediate review of all pubs, bars and clubs in Casey and lobby the State Government to improve late night public transport to and from the region.
An invitation-only seminar will also be held to encourage investors and developers to consider developing late night entertainment facilities through Casey.
Council officers will also nominate particular locations to build night venues.
A long-term vision will focus on attracting specific types of night time venues to the city, including live music, family friendly venues, restaurants and under-age facilities.
The survey found that:
– Residents would like to see more types of entertainment venues including bars, pubs, cinemas, restaurants, nightclubs and live music venues.
– Many people travel to the city to go out, and it is expensive to catch a taxi home.
– There is a need for improved public transport options such as the Night Rider bus and later operating trains to bring residents safely back to Casey.
– Most respondents would like other nightclubs within the City of Casey to be open until at least 3am.
– New venues need to cater for different age groups, particularly 18-25 and 30 years and over. There is also a need for family friendly venues.
The majority of respondents were in favour of venues that serve alcohol.
Berwick, Cranbourne, Hallam and Narre Warren areas were all popular current night time entertainment destinations.
