THE jury is still out on the precautions taken to make sure nearby residents were not disturbed by noise from a country music festival held last Sunday at The Briars, Mount Martha.
Following complaints about over-amplification of electronic music at an event on 16 February, Mornington Peninsula Shire said it would make sure noise levels were kept under EPA levels (“Feedback a part of noise review” The News 26/2/20).
Briars manager Rebecca Levy said the country music festival was “quite a different event [and] therefore we are not anticipating the same level of noise issues”.
In a letter to Mount Martha resident Ken Anderson, Ms Levy supplied a phone number to call if noise was a problem and said the organisers would monitor and adjust noise levels if needed.
“Noise monitors have been installed at three locations on our boundaries, enabling us to keep noise levels at our boundaries below EPA requirements,” Ms Levy said.
“Therefore, any noise beyond our boundaries will be significantly quieter than is required.”
However, Mr Anderson said country music “still requires amplification and can’t be considered any different to rock music played on records”.
“I don’t think any events of this kind are sympathetic to a nature reserve and the general purpose of The Briars.”
Mr Anderson’s opinion differs from that of Paul Wittwer, of Mornington, who last week told The News that he enjoyed seeing The Briars used for the 16 February concert (“Event applauded” Letters 3/3/20). “[The Briars] really was quite a stunning setting to enjoy the music. While I wouldn’t like to see events like this every weekend, I feel it is a positive addition to the range of events hosted at The Briars over the year,” Mr Wittwer said.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 10 March 2020
