Goulburn CBD Special Entertainment Precinct
Goulburn Mulwaree Council sought to establish a Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) across the Goulburn CBD, allowing entertainment venues to operate with greater certainty while protecting residential amenity.
MDA was engaged to prepare the supporting Sound Management Framework, establishing evidence-based sound criteria for the precinct rather than relying on templates developed for metropolitan areas.
CLIENT
Goulburn Mulwaree Council
LOCATION
Goulburn, NSW
COMPLETED
2025
Our Scope
MDA carried out five rounds of noise surveys in and around the Goulburn CBD, quantifying noise from twelve existing entertainment venues as well as the ambient acoustic environment at various times of the day and week.
MDA developed and refined sound criteria for the precinct, prepared the Sound Management Framework document, modelled feasibility scenarios for the construction responses different criteria would require, and supported Council's stakeholder engagement sessions by translating the technical justification into layperson's terms.
CHALLENGES
Goulburn's regional context and stakeholder expectations differ markedly from those in metropolitan SEPs, so criteria and engagement approaches used elsewhere could not simply be transplanted.
MDA worked directly with Council to develop a bespoke, evidence-based framework suited to a regional centre, balancing venue vibrancy against residential amenity for a diverse set of stakeholders.
PROJECT TEAM
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