Licensed Premises / Event Monitoring

PKA have extensive experience with licensed premises around the state.

Common issues and areas requiring acoustic advice include the following:

    • Noise from music
    • Alfresco gaming areas
    • Smoking terraces and beer gardens
    • Mechanical and refrigeration plant
    • Extension of trading hours
    • Compliance measurements

Assessing noise from licensed premises can be confusing. Different components of a single Club may be assessed under a number of different criteria.

For example noise from music may be assessed against the Office of Liquor Gaming & Racing (OLGR, previously Liquor Administration Board LAB) Standard Noise Conditions, noise from mechanical plant may be assessed against the EPA’s Industrial Noise Policy, noise from activities within the carpark may be assessed against a Sleep Arousal criteria and noise from additional vehicles on surrounding roads may be assessed against the EPA Road Noise Policy.

Not only do the above policies require different levels for compliance they also assess and measure noise in different ways. Unless the different and applicable criteria are clearly understood undue restrictions and expense can be placed on the operators of the licenced premises. Alternatively design goals may be set which are not sufficiently stringent, with the potential for non-compliance once the premises are operational (and the added expense of rectification works).

Recently PKA were involved in the Penrith Panthers Revitalisation Project. The renovation included the lakeside Squires Terrace, function rooms, outdoor gaming areas and acoustic treatment to the flagship Osso Restaurant. We were able to provide design solutions pleasing to patrons that also maintained the required noise levels at both nearby residential and aged care facilities as well as at the directly adjacent Chifley Hotel.

PKA have been constantly involved in concert and event monitoring since 1988. Our staff have extensive experience in monitoring sound from live events and have been involved in monitoring and reporting on events at the following venues:

    • Sydney Football Stadium
    • Sydney Cricket Ground
    • Centennial Park
    • The Domain
    • The Royal Botanic Gardens
    • Olympic Stadium
    • Sydney Showground (Homebush)
    • Parramatta Stadium
    • Hordern Pavilion/Royal Hall Industries (Moore Park)

Event monitoring should serve a number of purposes, beyond being carried out merely to satisfy consent requirements. Monitoring should serve to protect the promoter against fines or prosecution, protect the health and wellbeing of the community and protect the venue owner by ensuring live events remain viable by meeting community expectations with regards to noise. Simply satisfying the consent requirements does not necessarily protect these broader interests.

For example if monitoring is carried out either via unattended noise monitoring devices, or by inexperienced personnel it is very difficult to establish compliance with the criteria. This is because the source of noise levels recorded cannot be established and the noise level contributions from the event cannot be ascertained in the midst of extraneous noise from cars, boats, aircraft or the like.

PKA typically go beyond merely satisfying the consent requirements, as often the level of detail required by the consent is not enough to clearly prove compliance in the case of dispute. We typically provide an event log of noise levels which includes the observed noise level contributions due to the event (and excluding extraneous noise) at each monitoring location. The event logs assist the client in having confidence that compliance with the required levels has actually been achieved. Such information is of value to ensure the ongoing interests of the client are protected.

The above list is just a selection of the projects we have done. It is to show a cross-section of the solutions we can achieve for your project. But each job is different, and we engineer a solution to fit. So please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have a situation which is not listed here. Call PKA on 02 9460 6824 or Send an email to admin@pka.com.au