17 January 2024

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Eat Streat noise limits

Enquiry

I'm writing a story on noise complaints and am touching base to get an inquiry with you underway - there may be a lot to it. I expect to come back to you with right-of-reply later this afternoon and will extend the deadline.

Are you able to please answer the following questions about the noise complaints process?

• What is the process for RLC when it receives a noise complaint? How does this escalate?
• What is the required decibel reading of noise level within the Rotorua CBD?
• Do bars and restaurants in the CBD get a buffer or allowance for decibel noise?
• What is the process if someone does not follow the decibel noise rules?

The reporter was asked for more detail about what their story was about and provided the following:

The story is about a local restaurant/bar that has had an issue with decibel noise requirements within the CBD. I'm meeting with the person for an interview shortly, so will be able to give you more details then.

I'm just wanting to get the facts of the RLC noise complaint process so I can see if his concern falls within/outside council regulations.

The reporter later provided the following for “right of reply”:

To follow on from my previous email inquiry, please see comments from a hospitality outlet owner located on Eat Street for Rotorua Lakes Council right-of-reply if you wish to respond.

• “We had a noise complaint regarding our sound. 65 decibels is what they’ve asked us to reach, which is an impossible number.”
• “We got a noise complaint lodged against us even when I shut off all my music at our bar and it was still reading.”
• “We had turned everything off and my reader was still reading 72 without us talking. The natural ambient sound of Eat Street and this place Tutanekai Street and Pukaki Street is gonna be louder than 65 [decibels].”
• “[The noise] is impossible to measure [accurately].”
• “They [Rotorua Lakes Council] aren’t trying to better us”
• “Everything’s been going sweet and then now we’re running into this regulation”.
• “I thought they were taking the p*** it’s just a joke.”
• Mr Singh also expressed concern his business had been negatively impacted by the council's enforcement of the noise regulations, saying he has had many customers leave his establishment when they were forced to remove the music. He also states standard ambient noise in the area is enough to breach the 65 decibel reading and questions how he is meant to run a business on this.

What is your response to these concerns?

Could you also please add these two additional questions to my initial inquiry?

• When did the 65-decibel CBD regulation come into effect and why? What was it previously?
• Why is the council enforcing this regulation now? (presumably, there haven't been complaints about Eat Streat noise until now - is this correct? Please explain)
• Will the council consider reevaluating the 65-decibel limit? If so why? If not, why not?

Response

We provided the following information and comment:

The following is information – so not an attributable comment/quotes but information you can use:

What is the process for RLC when it receives a noise complaint?

Noise complaint process is as follows: A noise complaint comes into council’s call centre and depending on the complaint if the complaint is residential or rural it will dictate the time allocated to respond for example residential is to respond within 1 hour and rural is within 2 hours. Once the officer is onsite they will assess the noise, based on time of day, volume and tone.

How does this escalate? If another compliant is received after the initial site visit it will be escalated to the next level (refer to bullet point 4 regarding the different levels).

What is the required decibel reading of noise level within the Rotorua CBD?

general-district-wide-matters (rotorualakescouncil.nz) go to page 34 of the document to see below information: