(31/10/18) Freo wants anti-whinge laws too
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The City of Fremantle is calling for ‘anti-whinge’ laws proposed for Northbridge to be extended to include Fremantle.
Last month the WA Planning Commission released a discussion paper on a proposal aimed at preventing people from moving in next to pubs or nightclubs in Northbridge and then complaining about the noise.
Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt said the proposed reforms were very welcome, but should include Fremantle as well.
“A study by Tourism WA last year identified Fremantle as Perth’s most popular entertainment precinct, and a big reason for that is our vibrant nightlife and live music scene,” Mayor Pettitt said.
“With the Kings Square renewal project acting as a catalyst for an unprecedented level of investment in residential developments in central Freo, plus the changes we’ve made to our local planning scheme to encourage higher density, we expect our city centre population to more than double over the next few years.
“But it’s important for people to realise when they live in an inner-city area that a little bit of noise goes with the territory.
“Putting the onus for noise mitigation onto the developers of apartments rather than the venues that have been there for years would be a positive step towards protecting the live music venues and creative industries that attract people to Freo in the first place.”
The proposed reforms outlined in the WAPC discussion paper ‘Planning for entertainment noise in the Northbridge precinct’ include the creation of a Special Control Area over Northbridge in the City of Perth’s local planning scheme.
Within the control area responsibility for noise attenuation in new developments would shift to the ‘agent of change’, rather than the existing venues that generate the noise.
Notifications advising of the existence of entertainment noise would also be included on certificates of title, and noise levels would be assessed from inside an apartment with the doors and windows shut rather than outside.
Last week Fremantle Council voted to support the preparation of a submission welcoming the proposed reforms and requesting they be expanded to include Fremantle.