The consultation process for establishing the Manly Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) is well underway. So far there has been two Project Working Group (PRG) meetings held at the Manly Town Hall. The first was a visioning exercise where the participants, residents, business owners and operators and council staff discussed what they would like to see in terms of entertainment in the Manly CBD. The responses were predictable, a cinema, cafes open beyond 3pm, live music and theatre entertainment venues, bring back the amphitheatre in the Corso (or somewhere else) etc.

The second PWG was a more technical presentation by the sound engineer Consultant on how ‘sound’ would be measured and what controls there could be put in place on noise coming from the venues in the declared SEP area. Entertainment sound in a SEP includes:

• sound emissions from live or recorded music, entertainment and/or performance (both indoor and outdoor)
• sound associated with patrons arriving & leaving venues
• the sale and supply of liquor, provision of food/dining services
• staff or patrons conversing and singing
• set up, pack downs, rehearsals and sound checks.

Ultimately the SEP will have generic sound controls legislated for the designated area and will apply to any venue within the SEP. Compliance will be managed by NSW Liquor and Gaming not Council. Council will continue to have jurisdiction over the public areas and noise emanating from mechanical ventilation equipment such as air conditioners or extraction fans, private residences or noise in the public domain and not directly related to any particular venue. The Council has determined that there are approximately 8,000 residents in the SEP.

Compliance for these sound controls within the SEP will now fall to the NSW Liquor and Gaming Authority. While other noise complaints remain with the NSW EPA for environmental noise issues (131 555) or the Northern Beaches Council for local residential noise, and for for urgent noise disturbances cal the Police (131 444).

Consideration will be given to applying these Sound and Noise controls for outdoor events in the Corso and other areas in the SEP. Once this work is completed Council Planning staff will prepare a Precinct Management Plan which will set out the boundaries of the SEP along with new trading hours, sound controls, compliance procedures. A proposal for inclusion in the Manly Local Environment Plan (LEP) will then be placed on public exhibition for further comment for the wider community. Adoption by Council will follow after presentation and debate at a Council meeting.