Listening to concerns over noise
Maidstone residents have been spared an increase in noisy events in Mote Park.
Council officers had sought to introduce a new Festival and Events Policy that allowing three “Category A” events - with the noise levels at the maximum permitted by the Noise Council Code of Practice: 65 decibels.
But members of the heritage, culture and leisure committee resisted this, restricting the number to two events for a maximum of six days a year.
Cllr Fran Wilson (Lib Dem) said: “We want people to understand we are listening to what they say.”
She said Mote Park was actually in the most densely populated part of Maidstone, adding: “We must remember we put residential retirement flats in (Mote House) before we had an events policy.”
She was supported by Cllr John Perry (Con) who added: “Mote Park is not Glastonbury. Sixtyfive decibels is still a lot of noise.”
Cllr Perry sought to reduce the level to 55 decibels, but the council’s environmental enforcement manager Martin Jeynes said for safety reasons it was sometimes necessary to have high volumes to ensure those at the back of the crowd could hear and didn’t move forward causing a crushing problem.
The council’s new policy also permits up to eight “Category B” events, over 12 days, with lower noise levels, not exceeding 15 decibels above the normal background noise level.
Cllr Wilson said as the festival season was regarded only as four months over the summer, that could still mean that there would be some kind of event on average every other weekend.