Noise Warning On Teen-age Dances

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31598, 8 February 1968, Page 16

Noise Warning On Teen-age Dances

After hearing complaints of noise from “beat” bands and after dances in the Western Association Football Club’s hall at 270 Westminster Street, the chairman of the Town and Country Planning Appeal Board (Mr J. W. Keely, S.M.) yesterday warned the club that it should act responsibly to minimise annoyance to residents.

The board was hearing an appeal by residents against a City Council decision allowing conditional use of the hall by the public, and evidence was given of excessive noise from amplified guitar music, loud talk and car noises after dances, and of bottles being left in gardens and on the street.

After hearing evidence, Mr Kealy said that the appeal would be allowed to the extent that the board would require amendment of the council’s conditions by the addition of a clause requiring the club, if asked to do so by the City Engineer, forthwith, to instal sound-proofing to his satisfaction.

“It well may be that there will be no need for this condition to be brought into effect,” Mr Kealy continued. “We feel that once there is additional means of control of the degree of amplification, and assuming the club is responsible, it will not use nominal but realistic and effective means to mitigate any annoyance.

“However good intentions are, there will be a degree of nuisance. Even well-con-trolled cars leaving at 12.30 or 1 a.m. must cause a degree of nuisance.” He said the board urged the club seriously to see that it had a responsible member at the hall, armed with the means of control. Broken glass on the street should not be tolerated, and the club should see that the hall and car-park were used in a responsible way. No doubt, said Mr Kealy, the council would take that into consideration in its annual review of the hall licence, which it could revoke.

For the objectors, Mr J. R. Woodward said that originally the building had been p.ut up as a gymnasium, the council requiring its use to be restricted to club purposes. It came to the notice of residents that the club was letting the hall for dances and socials in terms of a public hall licence granted by the council. I This, licence had been i issued in error, and was I quickly put right by the coun- ' oil, which did not renew lhe licence. In September, 1967,

the club had been given permission to use the hall for public functions on one night a week, provided its use ceased by 12.30 a.m., that there was supervision by a club committee member, and that there was no undue annoyance to residents. Before that decision, one of the objectors, Mr A. K, Smith, had written to the council saying a considerable number of residents objected to band noise, shouting, and car noises.

When Mr Kealy doubted whether the hall was large enough to warrant the use of amplifiers, Mr Woodward replied: "You can’t tell teenagers that They like it laid on.”

Mr Woodward said that the council’s conditions had been tested, and found wanting. The club had been “good boys” since the appeal was pending, but it would be impossible to supervise, and keen the noise down.

The council had set conditions for a church hall at 514 Gloucester Street requiring use to cease at 9.30 p.m., except on one night to 11 p.m., the installation of soundproofing, and no public use save by consent of the council.

What reason was there, the objectors asked, for them to be treated differently at Westminister Street? In evidence. Mr Smith said the noise of “beat” bands woke his children. His house was 80 yards from the hall. After dances, there was racing up and down the road in cars, and one night he had

picked up a dozen bottles. He had been told by the organiser of a Plunket Society dance at Easter, 1967, that there would be as little disturbance as possible, but the noise had been no different. To the chairman, Mr Smith said the dances could well be held in the Marshland Hall, in the country, two miles away.

“Aren’t teen-agers far better off making a noise in a hall than running the streets?” said Mr Kealy. To Mr J. H. M. Dawson (for the club), Mr Smith said he could have complained dozens of times in 1967. Mr Dawson: Club records show the hall was only let 17 times. Mr Smith: You feel It’s that.

Similar evidence was given by Messrs G O. McKenzie and N. W. Colombus, and by Mrs B. Glanville, though they said the noise had been satisfactorv since September. Mr A. Hearn, for the council, said that its view was that it was in the public interest to let the club use its hall to make income. The detriment to amenities from that use was low, and was minimised by the conditions. Witnesses had agreed that since the conditions had been in force there had been no real trouble.

Mr R. M. Critchley, the council's town-planning officer. said the council now required such organisations, to make un their minds on uses when they applied for townplanning approval.