Noise Management Plan for Festivals

It has become more and more prevalent for local councils to ask for a noise management plans, when you are submitting an application for a temporary events notice, or a premises license, under the Licensing Act 2003.

There are typically various points within a festival license that refer to noise:

Noise Management Consultant

A person given responsibility by Glastonbury Festival Events Limited for monitoring noise levels in accordance with the license conditions, and who has the ability and the authority to make decisions and implement changes in sound level during the event.

Audible and Discernible

Noise which is distinct above the general hubbub of activity on the site, such as vocals (recorded or live) or instrumental music (recorded or live), separately or in combination, which can be identified by the human ear as being likely to originate from discrete sources from the licensed site.

Noise Sensitive Premises

Includes premises used for residential purposes, hospitals or similar institutions, education establishments (when in use), or places of worship (during recognized times and days of worship) or any premises used for any other purposes likely to be affected by the entertainment sound.

Technical Management

Not only can noise be a nuisance to residents near festival sites, it can also spoil enjoyment of acts by festival goers. Poor layout with overlapping sound fields, can create a poor audio experience in some sites areas, which restricts the the number of acts or stages that you can fit in a given area.

Large festivals have to consider this very carefully, and as such sound and noise management has become quite complex.

Noise Control & Miitgation

Mitigative measures can involve construction of temporary structures, made from railway sleepers, straw bales, pallets, IBCs.

These not only limit the propagation of sound waves in unwanted directions, but they also improve acoustics, adding effects such as reverberation, and maximizing acoustic effect for a given sound power level.

Noise Management Consultancy Services

If you would like us to create a noise or sound management plan for a festival you are organizing, we would be glad to help. Please get in touch.