Can't see what this has got to do with planning permission surely this is an extension of the premises licence that's being requested. Starting to look like a political fight.
Dear Jade
At this time, there is insufficient information included within the submitted documents for this
application to allow this team to accurately and fairly assess the proposal. We have to weigh up
the reasons for this application (clearly to provide additional financial support to the football
club) with the impact of the proposed events, given the location of the stadium in a residential
area.
No elevational plans have been submitted to show the height and design of the stage, likely
heights and locations of speakers and lighting rigs etc and whether any existing structures on site
will aid with attenuation of noise and lighting.
Some idea of the likely events would be of help in our assessments, as these can vary greatly in
terms of bass music (usually the main source of complaint) which comprises low frequency noise
and vibrations. It would have helped if some details had been included in a document, including
some basic considerations of how the impact of such events on the surrounding residents could
be mitigated. Noting the open car park to the front of the site will be used for artists and crew,
this is also likely to be a source of noise and there are currently no physical solid barriers to
reduce noise and lighting.
The hours of opening are listed on the application form as being from 12 noon until 12 midnight
Monday to Saturday inclusive. What are the likely event times? We would recommend having a
maximum end time of 22:30-23:00 hours, given the ‘open-air’ nature of the events and proximity
to dwellings, as consideration is also needed as to the impact after the event closes of persons
leaving the site, waiting to be collected, congregating etc. By reducing the end time of the
event, this would lessen the overall event impact, and ensure the premises was
closed/completely vacated before midnight.
In addition to the above, the applicant should note that this team will require a robust Event
Management Plan document (adherence to which we would require via a planning condition) so
I strongly recommend that they seek professional guidance on how to control noise from
outdoor events, including the preparation for these and likely after event occurrences, and
consideration of the artists area outside the stadium and event goers leaving the site. This
document should include layout of the stage, speaker blocks, lighting, noise mitigation and
attenuation, event types, duration and hours.
Clearly an afternoon event is likely to have less impact than an evening one, and it’s likely a 10+ hour event would have more impact than a 3
hour event. Events requiring crowd participation in any form are also more likely to have a
greater impact. Noise levels for music will need to be controlled, so that at the site boundary
they are at acceptable levels. Such levels would be guided by a noise assessment undertaken by
professionals, and can be discussed with this team following the assessment.
There are gaps where there are entrance/exit points to the site, which will allow noise break-out
at ground floor height. It is possible these could be re-designed to retain noise whilst still
retaining their emergency escape status.
At this stage, due to the lack of information to allow an informed decision, please accept this as a
holding objection. I am not prepared to support approval with conditional requirement for an
EMP; at this stage, whilst there are only four events proposed per year, the open air nature and
close residents are of significant concern.
It is also possible that, if we can reach the stage of having sufficient detail, we would still
recommend a temporary approval ie for one year, allowing ongoing monitoring of events and
giving the possibility of improving issues or preventing further events if they cannot be suitably
controlled to protect residential amenity. I note the NCC Highways Officer would support a
temporary permission.
Thank you.
Kind regards
Suzi Pimlott (Mrs)
Senior Community Safety & Neighbourhood Nuisance Officer
Community Safety & Neighbourhood Nuisance Team
Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk
