Recent weeks have seen important developments for the music, tourism and hospitality sector in Queensland as the Nambour CBD and a section of the Maroochydore Town Centre were designated special entertainment precincts by Sunshine Coast Council.
The creation of special entertainment precincts will not only help provide better protection for entertainment venues but also ensure clear and consistent guidelines for new developments.
Entertainment venues within special entertainment precincts are exempt from the amplified music noise requirements of the Queensland Government’s liquor licensing laws. The regulation responsibilities for amplified music noise are transferred to council.
The Live Music Office worked closely with the Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance to support the process that ultimately saw Council land on special entertainment precincts as the best planning option for these night economy areas in the Local Government Area.
Sunshine Coast Council Division 10 Councillor Greg Rogerson said the planning scheme amendment aimed to nurture the live music industry by promoting a vibrant day-time and night-time atmosphere in selected precincts, like Nambour.
“I have always been right behind Nambour becoming a special entertainment precinct,” Cr Rogerson said.
“My vision is to see Nambour CBD alive and kicking is fast becoming a reality.
“With live music, excellent restaurants, cafes and the like, we can have a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere in the heart of the hinterland, where community and businesses can thrive.
“Designating an entertainment precinct in Nambour’s CBD is the best way council can facilitate entertainment venues to operate in the most productive and economically viable way.
“By getting quality musicians and acts into town we can improve the vibrancy of Nambour and make it a more attractive place to visit.
“Successful events like Currie Street Crawl, NamJam, Tramfest and Horizon Festival events have gone a long way to supporting Nambour’s push to become a music and entertainment precinct.
“We want to create a place locals and visitors, love to come to and live music is definitely part of that experience.
“An initiative like this, has the potential to breathe life into Nambour – making it a real drawcard.”
Additional information about the planning scheme amendment:
The Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 (Major Amendment) – Special Entertainment Precincts was subject to public consultation from 15 October to 9 November 2018.
The amendment seeks to help support the live music industry on the Sunshine Coast, increase vibrancy in major centres and tourist areas and protect residential amenity by:
- designating part of Nambour’s major activity centre as a ‘special entertainment precinct’ under the Local Government Act 2009;
- remove the existing hospitality areas in Maroochydore, Nambour, Caloundra and Mooloolaba activity centres to reduce potential overlap and confusion with the proposed new special entertainment precinct;
- amending the tables of assessment, development codes, zone codes and relevant local plan codes to make it easier for entertainment uses to establish in centre zones, key tourist areas and the Ocean Street Food and Music Sub-Precinct;
- providing for micro-breweries in the Principal centre zone, Major centre zone, Tourism zone and (where within the Mooloolaba/Alexandra Headland local plan area) the District centre zone and the Tourist accommodation zone;
- amending the assessment benchmarks relating to noise criteria for venues, surrounding residential development and key mixed use areas; and
- amending the planning scheme policy for the nuisance code to include requirements for noise impact assessments.
The amendment will commence on and from January 28, 2020
