Opera House Lower Concourse Minor Works and Uses

Please see attached:

Please find attached Heritage Council response to SSD 9794

See attachment which outlines our objection to Submission SSD-9794

We object to the works proposed to the Lower Concourse of the Sydney Opera House under State significant development application SSD-9794 due to the likely impacts on the amenity of surrounding residents and public safety risks.
Likely Noise Impacts
At present noise from amplified music, particularly distorted low and high pitch sounds, is not only audible within the habitable rooms of Bennelong Apartments with the doors and windows closed but is often offensive. The proposed development will exacerbate this.
Amplified music is currently performed on the stage at the southern end of the Opera Bar which has a vertical noise barrier behind it. This barrier was originally put in place at the direction of Mr John Symond and the Board of the Sydney Opera House Trust due to concerns over excessive noise levels and the impact on residents. If this barrier is removed it should be replaced with more suitable noise attenuation measures.
It is not only the volume of music that needs to be controlled but the type of music played, with consideration also given to prevailing weather conditions.
An outdoor night club style of venue positioned in what is effectively a concrete bowl which reverberates loud amplified sounds into sensitive residential receivers will be a continual source of conflict. An opportunity exists for the Opera Bar to become a high-quality acoustic live music venue more consistent with the role and iconic status of the Opera House. Acoustic instruments such as piano, guitars, double bass (excluding drums, cymbals or similar percussion instruments and noisy woodwind instruments such as a saxophone, trumpet, tuba and the like) are unlikely to interrupt the quiet enjoyment of surrounding residents.
Operators of the Opera Bar have a history of non-compliance with their conditions of consent relating to noise restrictions, and their complaint handling procedures are woefully inadequate and ineffective. The proponent must provide more effective noise controls and the regulatory authority should also increase its vigilance and issuance of penalties for continued breaches.
16 New Umbrella Structures
Acoustic treatments such as sound absorbing materials or baffles should be integrated into the design of the umbrellas to minimise noise impacts on surrounding residents.
The volume of the music played through the speakers needs to be physically restricted at the source, so it is not possible for different people to adjust the music to create offensive noise, near and distant.
Public Safety
Noise levels at the Opera Bar are loud and should be restricted to ensure safe passage of all patrons, including children, to the Opera House car park.
Past experience has shown that when live bands play, the walkways around the Opera Bar become clogged with people congregating and dancing which is a potential hazard and public safety risk.
In closing, there are several issues with the Opera Bar that need to be addressed to ensure public safety and minimise the impacts on surrounding residents.

Noise- Amplified Music from Opera Bar can be heard in our unit in Bennelong with doors and windows closed. Our bedroom face the Opera House. We do not
want any expansion to the current facilities. Don't want the largest outdoor nightclub next to our unit. It's already to crowded with people and vehicles.
Who will control the noise level and who do we complain too. Will there be a fine for loud music. If not it will continue to disturb the Bennelong residents.
Hours of Operation - I do not want to extend the operating hour of the Opera Bar. The extension will only make the currents issues of noise, traffic, public security
even worse. Please deny the proposed project. Thank you for your consideration.

As long term residents of Bennelong Apartments, my wife and I would like to strenuously object to the refurbishments requested by the Sydney Opera House Trust. The body corporate and residents of Bennelong Apartments have had an ongoing dispute with venues forming the Opera House complex over noise from patrons and music which continually disturbs the peace of the residents. Personally, I recently objected to an application to extend the operating hours of these venues through until 1.30am as this would only further increase the length of time that the residents are disturbed each day. As many of the residents are elderly and housebound, I would strongly urge you to reject this proposal.
We understand there is a Noise Management Plan in place and Point 3.4 of the Noise Management Plan refers to Macquarie St “with such sensitive neighbours, the Trust is particular about what kinds of events and activities it allows there.” It is our understanding that the proposed refurbishment will effectively turn this area into a nightclub that will be operating year round. It would appear that the Trust's activities are now focused on revenue and alcohol sales rather than family friendly events. The residents at Bennelong Apartments will now have to put up with additional rowdy drunken patrons and noise violations constantly from a nightclub venue in such close proximity that it has the potential to devalue our property.

The Opera House is an Australian icon, not a nightclub!

Thank you for your time and consideration of my objection. It is my profound hope that you will take this complaint seriously and address these issues. If the refurbishments are approved, I will have no hesitation in throwing my support behind the Residents Association in taking our concerns to the NSW Government, the media and pursue whatever legal avenues are open to us.

TfNSW Response

Hi Karl
Please see CoS response to the SSD-9794 proposal.

Regards
Amy Douglas
Specialist Planner
CoS

We object to the works proposed to the Lower Concourse of the Sydney Opera House under State significant development application SSD-9794 due to the likely impacts on the amenity of surrounding residents and public safety risks.

See attached conditions requested to be imposed in consent.