Home-buyer clause so noise complaints fall on deaf ears

People who buy homes near pubs and music venues in some areas will soon find their noise complaints falling on deaf ears.

Special entertainment precincts will be expanded in the NSW government’s second tranche of “vibrancy reforms” to be introduced to parliament on Tuesday.

Buyers will be required to formally acknowledge they are purchasing property in an entertainment zone when snapping up real estate within the precincts.

Just one precinct has been established to date, on Enmore Rd in Sydney’s inner west, but Arts Minister John Graham wants more in a bid to revive the state’s ailing nightlife industry.

“It is about cutting the red tape that has strangled nightlife over time and made local live music and performance at venues in many cases the exception rather than the rule,” he said.

It is also hoped the laws will put an end to conflict between established venues and new neighbours.

“People moving into an established entertainment zone will now do so with their eyes wide open through property search documents and we expect this will reduce conflict between neighbours and venues over time,” Mr Graham said.

The “eyes wide open” clause on planning certificates will inform prospective property buyers they are purchasing in an entertainment area.

State-owned land, including Walsh Bay on the north-west fringe of the Sydney city centre, and White Bay Power Station in the inner west, have been flagged as future entertainment hotspots.

Clear objectives, early community engagement, safety and accessibility are among key principles set out in draft guidelines for special entertainment precincts published in August.

It will be up to councils to establish precincts when applications open before the end of 2024.

Other changes include removing restrictions that prevent entertainment in some venues or dictate what it should consist of, as well as allowing people to drink outside licensed venues while standing.

Previous reforms relaxed rules on outdoor dining, extended trading hours and reduced licensing fees for venues with live music and stopped a single noise complaint from shutting a place down.