From March, Kings Cross will be brought into line with the rest of the Sydney as lockout laws are abolished.

As of March 8 the 1:30am lockout will be removed, last drinks will be moved to 3:30am and specific restrictions on drinks and use of glass will be lifted.

NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres told Jim Wilson he believes the government has struck the right balance between safety and economic impacts.

“It really got to a point where action needed to be taken … there’s no doubt that the city has changed.

“No one wants to go to somewhere that has a high risk of crime or a high risk of harm; there’s nothing cool or good about that.”

Kings Cross business owner of 11 years Peter Lew told Jim he has mixed feelings about today’s announcement.

“We all agree that something had to happen … whether or not we need to do a sledgehammer – which I think the lockouts were – is up for debate.”

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Image: Getty