Agent of change rule proposed for Perth’s Northbridge entertainment precinct

After a review three years ago on problems faced by the state’s live music venues and nightclubs, the WA government is today proposing that the agent of change be introduced to the state.

It is taking its cue from Victoria, where the rights of existing music venues are protected from new residents with great success.

The state government is introducing guidelines for public comment to protect entertainment precincts – and starting with Northbridge, where a designated “special control area” will be drawn up by the government.

The new suggested guidelines put the onus on builders, The West Australian reports.

Future development applications by builders to set up apartments will have to demonstrate the steps taken to cut down on noise.

Before they sell the apartments, the title deeds have to carry a noise warning.

The law will also be changed so that measurement of noise will be assessed from inside the apartment with doors and windows closed, rather than from outside balconies, as is the case.

In the past this has been a huge problem for venues as residents bypass council demands for double glazed windows by insisting that council officers measure volume from outside their premises.

Planning Minister Rita Saf-fioti told the newspaper, “It’s really making it more of a transparent process so that if you buy into the area you’re aware that you’re buying into an area [with noise].

“We don’t want venues shutting down because they can’t operate.

“There’s no real processes currently.

“These land-use clashes are happening both here and across the suburbs so this [Northbridge] is the first area that we’re looking at but we think having these types of guidelines or this framework rolled out will help protect music venues around the city and the suburbs.”

WA’s music industry has been calling for an agent of change policy for a long time.

In 2015, the music industry rallied calling for action when The Bakery and Deville’s Pad announced in quick succession they were closing their doors.

At a meeting – which politicians attended – options were debated.

Out of that meeting an action group, More Music Arts Venues Perth, was set up.

The WA department of culture and the arts was prompted to do a review of what was causing the rapid closure of venues.

The number of Perth venues dropped from 138 in 2008 to 111 in 2015, while 21 music venues in outer metropolitan suburbs of Perth also closed their doors

Earlier this year, John Carey, MLA for Perth called for  agent of change and also for higher volume levels be allowed for entertainment precincts.

Currently after 7:00pm the level set is 55 decibels.

Carey suggested it should be 70 decibels for precincts, which he said “could be a very loud lawnmower or vacuum cleaner — it’s not that loud.”

Recently, The Raffles won an important victory against a neighbour who tried to get its beer garden closed.

But an atypical problem is faced by one of Perth’s major venues, The Rosemount Hotel, which has been in existence since 1902, and had an apartment complex allowed to be built opposite.

Its owner Barry Jones said, “When apartments are being built virtually on the doorstep of the hotel, at the Rosemount for instance, that is going to give rise to issues where we just can’t operate in the manner that we have in the past if the law is unchanged.”