Sydney music venues will be better protected from noise complaints under a new proposal put forward by City Of Sydney council today.
The proposal suggests bringing the Agent Of Change principle — which was implemented in Victoria in September 2014 — to Sydney, to help protect venues from noise complaints that might arise from new residential developments that pop up nearby.
If the New South Wales Government agrees to bring Agent Of Change to Sydney, new residential developments within 100 metres of existing entertainment venues would need to be designed and built in a way that manages noise coming from the existing venue, which will hopefully lead to fewer noise complaints.
New entertainment venues would also be required to be built in a way that protects any existing residential properties nearby from noise.
City Of Sydney Councillor Jess Scully tells Music Feeds that the introduction of the Agent Of Change principle will be a “major shift” for the city.
“We want to create a sustainable place for venues in our city through balanced, fair and commonsense regulation,” she says. “We’re looking forward to hearing back from the industry on the proposal.”
The Agent Of Change proposal is part of City Of Sydney’s ‘An Open And Creative City’ discussion paper, which also includes proposals for “encouraging more small-scale cultural events and activities” and “making it easier for small businesses to trade later”.
City Of Sydney says it will take “at least to the end of 2018” before its new recommendations will come into effect, if they are successful.
A petition calling for the Agent Of Change principle to be introduced in Sydney was created by a local musician back in 2015, following a number of well-publicised noise complaints.
