This morning I talked to five parents in Crabbes Creek regarding the noise from the Splendour festival this year.
All had been severely impacted on Sunday night with three not only being bombarded by the bass beat but being able to recognise each song as it played.
That is too loud. That is good if you have chosen to attend the festival, but it is not okay if it is a school night, it is 11pm at night and you are trying to explain to your children why they cannot get to sleep even though all the windows and doors are closed.
‘Mummy make it stop’, my eight-year-old said to me.
Why can’t I make it stop?
What has happened to the common law right to ‘peace and enjoyment’ of your residence?
Not one of those five parents called the Splendour hotline to complain.
Why not, I asked? ‘It didn’t change anything last time’ was the reply.
I know the festival site cannot control the wind direction. I know they can’t control how music is affected by the temperature and conditions.
What they can do is control it better at the source. And if they can’t do that, they need to turn it down.
Chris Cherry, Wooyung
Chris, what you have described is offensive noise and is an infringement under the NSW Protection of the Environment Operations Act(1997) (Noise). You have rights under this legislation and you can do a number of things.
You and your other affected neighbours can:
1. lodge a complaint to the NSW Environmental Protection Authority and NSW Planning Department, and, requesting that noise monitoring equipment be installed for the next festival, in your locality.
2,. lodge a complaint with the Environment Department at Byron Council
3. organise a petition with your neighbours and submit this to the Mayor
4. lodge a late complaint with the festival organisers and ask them to install sound proofing and double glazing in your house if this is going to happen regularly.
You do have rights and can do something about this.