Nightclub owners and city authorities are concerned Canberrans may drift away from city's historic centre of nightlife after the closure of three iconic bars at the Sydney Building and the launch of new venues in Braddon, New Acton, and the Kingston Foreshore.
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The concerns come after North Bar, Meche Nightclub and ICBM were closed earlier this week by director Steve Bates who cited a failure to reach a terms of agreement with the building owner and frustrations with heritage requirements.
Canberra CBD chief executive Jane Easthope said the closures were a concerning sign for those who cared about the nightlife history of the Sydney Building as a "rite of passage" for young Canberrans.
"I'm concerned this may lead to a decentralisation of the city as a destination for young people, but you very quickly move to other offerings and we need that diversity," she said.
"The nightlife economy is very important to the city and to the capital region as a community."
Academy Nightclub owner Frank Condi said he was surprised when he heard the three venues had closed because they had been such an important part of Canberra's history.
"When I started working in clubs back in 1990 that was the nightlife and entertainment strip when places like Private Bin were operating," he said.
Mr Condi said the days of Civic being the only option nightlife destination in Canberra were long gone although the city still had a lot to offer patrons.
"The pull of people in Canberra hasn't really dropped; it's just that the range of choices has increased significantly," he said.
A spokeswoman from the neighbouring Mooseheads said the spread of nightlife to new areas of Canberra should be celebrated provided operators continued to cater to the diverse needs of patrons.
"Venues in Acton have their own dynamic just as those in Braddon or Kingston do so the city still has its own niche areas," she said.
"The terrific thing about Canberra is we have so many exciting premises within a 5km zone."
The spokeswoman said times were tough on the Northbourne Strip and the closure of venues would hurt the Sydney Building, although they could bounce back if the Sydney Building was revitalised.
"The owners of the Sydney Building need to bring the building back to its former glory and make it more aesthetically pleasing, and the government could help with that," she said.
Mr Bates, who was saddened to call last drinks, said the complexities of operating in the Sydney Building had taken a toll on his business.
"The Sydney and Melbourne buildings are two of the most heritage sensitive buildings that I'm aware of in Canberra and the heritage requirements are exhaustive and often conflict with legislative, fire safety or liquor license requirements," he said.
"When you've got a building that's so old with compliance costs so high, continuing on as an operator was becoming an uneconomic proposition."
Ms Easthope said the closures would have an immediate influence on night trade in Civic and the flow of patrons.
"It will have an impact on pedestrian movements through the area as you get that important traffic moving from Uni Pub connecting with Academy Nightclub and maybe moving up to Knightsbridge," she said.
She said operating a business in the Sydney Building was already difficult proposition given the proximity of the Canberra Centre and the tendency for the area to look drab, shabby and dirty.
"The Sydney building is an iconic building that we should all love and protect but the challenge is private ownership and no central body for champions of change to lobby," she said.
"I think it's a fundamental issue of economics in the city precinct as those buildings are experiencing real problems and there hasn't been a rental increase for many years and tenants are paying huge rates.
"It's going to be problematic for owners of the building to pass those rates on to new tenants."
