Sound levels aren’t being restricted. In fact, they will either go up or stay the same in venues in the CBD. It is mischievous to suggest Sydney’s CBD is being treated like a suburban street or rural town.
As part of our work to overlay "Special Entertainment Precinct" status in our late-night trading areas – work that will make it easier and cheaper for venues to trade later – the State Government encouraged expert acoustic testing of sound limits.
That testing enabled us to tailor sound levels depending on the specific location and time of day. These settings were tested against real nightlife scenarios, making sure live music, DJs and busy venues are all possible under the proposed rules.
We all want a nightlife we can be proud of and that our global city deserves. We’re working to make it cheaper and easier to operate a venue, to create new, fun and affordable options for people going out at night, whilst also protecting amenity.
Our proposals are set to help more than 5,000 businesses across more than 20 Special Entertainment Precincts. The next step is public consultation of the draft sound plan – talking to venues, residents and visitors – to ensure we get it right.
