Seven out of fourteen Councillors (one of the fifteen was absent) voted to send the Manly Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) along with its problematic Sound Management Framework to Gateway (NSW Government), with the Mayor casting her vote as a tiebreaker. What does this mean? It involves complex technical details that necessitate a thorough understanding of noise measurement and compliance under the new NSW vibrancy reforms and amended noise legislation. The Northern Beaches Council has no skin in this game; you cannot lodge complaints with them now, just as you couldn’t before. They lack the authority to intervene, as the SEP is entirely under the jurisdiction of NSW Liquor and Gaming.

Now, there is a question of fairness for Councillors from non-Manly Wards who supported this proposal: Every resident in the Northern Beaches LGA is still protected by the LA10 standard, compliance and complaints are managed by L&G NSW. If a resident in Dee Why, Brookvale, Mona Vale, or Narrabeen has a noise concern regarding their local pub or licensed venue, L&G NSW will evaluate compliance based on the LA10 framework. Where is the SEP proposal with a Sound Framweork for these areas?

This can be verified on the NSW Government’s official website: LA10 is the standard applied statewide, both now and in the future.

However, the proposal from Northern Beaches Council for Manly aims to replace this established standard with sound levels embedded in the NSW Government mandated SEP Sound Framework, which are significantly higher than what the current LA10 allows.

Councillors, please let us know how this can be deemed fair for the 8,000 residents in Manly who will now have weaker noise protections than all other residents across the Northern Beaches. The individuals most impacted by venue noise, residing in the area with the densest concentration of licensed establishments in the LGA, would be the only ones deprived of the protections afforded to everyone else.

Once the State Government has reviewed the Northern Beaches Council’s submission and returned it, there will be another chance for Community Consultation before and as part of the Trial. This will reportedly be monitored by the Council and the Project Working Group to assess its success or failure.

The Manly Community Forum has engaged an acoustic specialist as promised. They are currently conducting tests in the area to establish a baseline for sound and will also evaluate the effectiveness of the Government Sound Framework. Updates and docs avail on the Gofundme site. #challenge-manlys-entertainment-precinct-noise-plan