The State Government has established Western Australia's first Special Entertainment Precinct in Northbridge. This initiative provides long-term certainty to entertainment venues, developers and residents by balancing the needs of a vibrant nightlife with opportunities for new housing in Perth's growing city centre.

Northbridge is recognised as the State's premier entertainment precinct, known for its diverse range of entertainment venues and live music scene. The new planning and noise management framework will:

• Protect and support existing and new entertainment venues.
• Provide clarity for developers and new residential projects.
• Safeguard Northbridge's role as a lively, mixed-use precinct.

A key aspect of the precinct will be the introduction of strategic noise levels across designated 'core' and 'frame' areas of Northbridge. The new noise levels for the external boundary of entertainment venues will be: 

• 90dB(C) in the 'core' area of the precinct; and
• 79dB(C) in the 'frame' area of the precinct.

A 56-metre transition zone around the 'core' acknowledges that some areas of the 'frame' will experience core noise levels.

New planning provisions within the Special Entertainment Precinct will require both entertainment venues and new residential developments to provide noise attenuation measures. Reforms are currently underway to the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997, which will provide entertainment venues the option to apply for approval to operate at the new noise levels in excess of the current assigned noise levels (which are typically 54dB(C)).

Reform components 

The reforms consist of three components:

• An amendment to the City of Perth City Planning Scheme No.2 to introduce a special control area to require:
  • New sensitive uses (e.g. student housing, short-stay accommodation, residential apartments) to incorporate noise attenuation measures.
  • New entertainment venues to include soundproofing and construction measures to comply with the strategic noise levels.
  • Clear guidance on where short-stay and residential development can occur.
     
• Proposed amendments to the Environmental Protection (Noise) Regulations 1997 (Noise Regulations) to allow entertainment venues to apply to emit the new noise levels.
  • Current regulations typically allow noise up to 54 dB(C).
  • Under the reforms, venues that opt in will be permitted up to 90 dB(C) in the core and 79 dB(C) in the frame
     
• The Western Australian Planning Commission (WAPC) has prepared a Position Statement on Special Entertainment Precincts. This will guide other local governments wanting to pursue a Special Entertainment Precinct for their community in the future.

Amendment No. 41 to the City of Perth's City Planning Scheme No. 2  

The Minister for Planning, as the final decision maker, approved Amendment No. 41 to the City of Perth City Planning Scheme No.2, subject to modifications. The Amendment will set the strategic noise levels across the Northbridge Special Entertainment Precinct as follows: 

• 90dB(C) in the 'core' area of the precinct; and 

• 79dB(C) in the 'frame' area of the precinct. 

A transition area of 56 metres around the 'core' area recognises that areas of the 'frame' will be exposed to 'core' levels of entertainment noise. 

Amendment No.41 introduces a Special Control Area into the Scheme which requires all new sensitive land uses – such as short-stay accommodation, student housing and new apartments – to incorporate noise attenuation features to respond to the strategic noise levels. New short-stay accommodation and student housing will be capable of being considered in the 'core' and 'frame' area of the precinct, and new residential will be able to be considered in the 'frame' area, including transition area.  

The Special Control Area also requires new entertainment venues to incorporate appropriate levels of attenuation into their construction to ensure they do not exceed the strategic noise levels. 

The amendment will be modified by the City of Perth, in accordance with the Minister for Planning's decision, then formally incorporated into the Scheme.