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WE URGENTLY NEED EVERYONE'S HELP TO RAISE $45,000 TO FUND EXPERT HELP FOR RESIDENTS:

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cwqmd-challenge-manlys-entertainment-precinct-noise-plan 100% of GoFundMe funds go to independent legal, acoustic, and planning experts challenging the Manly Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP).

IN 30 SECONDS

• Families are being driven out of their Manly homes by noise — right now.
• On 19 May, Council voted 9-5 to push the SEP to NSW — ignoring 88.6% of us.
• It legalises noise that already harms residents. No health check was ever done.
• 70 dB(A) outside = sleepless homes inside. The WHO says 30 dB(A).
• An independent expert found 14 critical flaws in the framework.
• If it passes in Manly, it's the blueprint for the whole Northern Beaches.
• It's not over — it comes back for consultation and another vote. We can still stop it.
• Sign. Share. Donate. Be ready to object again.
   

OPPOSE THE MANLY SPECIAL ENTERTAINMENT PRECINCT AS PROPOSED

We are Manly residents opposing the proposed Manly Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) that Northern Beaches Council has sent to the NSW Government for Gateway determination.

We are not opposed to vibrancy. We are not opposed to nightlife. We back a thriving Manly with sensible limits.

But this proposal goes too far. The SEP boundary encroaches deep into residential areas, affecting approximately ~8,000 residents. It would legalise noise levels that already cause harm, without a single health or social impact assessment.

On 19 May 2026, Council voted 9-5 to send the Manly Special Entertainment Precinct to Gateway, overriding 88.6% community opposition. This is not approval, but it means we must fight harder.

WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW – BEFORE ANY SEP EXTENSION

This isn't hypothetical. Residents are already being harmed.

Since late 2025, open-air venues on West Esplanade (The ESPY, Las Palmas, Manly Pavilion) have been generating relentless noise and bass vibrations. The foreshore acts as a natural amphitheatre. Sound blasts upward off the water and invades homes in surrounding streets.

Real stories from long-time residents:

• A single mother with two young children (4 years resident) is relocating. Her children cannot sleep.
• A professional tenant (5 years resident) is looking to relocate, stating: "The music from the bars across the road is causing me too much stress and discomfort."
• A parent (5 years resident) is considering his options as constant loud music, bass vibration and patron noise disrupts the baby's sleep and routine.

This is not just West Esplanade. It is a problem across Manly, including noise from Felons Waterfront, the Hotel Steyne courtyard, the Ivanhoe Hotel open-air rooftop, and more. Residents across the precinct are affected.

These residents pre-date the venue operators and changes to acoustic amenity. Residents are being driven from their homes by noise. Yet Council's proposed Manly Special Entertainment Precinct would legalise and expand the very conditions causing this harm.

 

WHY WE OPPOSE THE MANLY SEP AS PROPOSED

The boundary is too large. It extends deep into R1 residential zones where families live, sleep, and raise children. This is not a contained entertainment strip. It's a blanket framework covering homes.

The noise levels are dangerous. The proposed upper external limit of up to 70 dB(A) translates to 45-55 dB(A) inside single-glazed homes. The WHO recommends 30 dB(A) for healthy sleep. Council refused to conduct a health impact assessment.

Existing protections are being removed. The DCP 2013 requirement for outdoor patron areas to close by 10pm is being deleted with no equivalent replacement. What currently constitutes a noise breach becomes the new "acceptable" level.

Residents are forced to choose. Close your windows and lose ventilation, or keep them open and lose sleep. Either way, residents pay the price for venue profits.

It sets a precedent. Council has confirmed Special Entertainment Precincts will be rolled out across other towns across the Northern Beaches. What happens in Manly is a template for all of the Beaches.

THE MATHS DOESN'T WORK

• Proposed upper external limit: up to 70 dB(A)
• Inside homes (single-glazed, windows closed): 45-55 dB(A)
• Inside homes (windows open for ventilation): 55-65 dB(A)
• WHO recommended level for healthy sleep: 30 dB(A)

Residents who once relied on natural sea breezes are being forced to permanently seal heritage homes and run air conditioning around the clock. This contradicts NSW sustainability and Net Zero goals. The environmental cost is being silently transferred onto residents.

 

AN INDEPENDENT REVIEW FOUND 14 CRITICAL FLAWS

An independent acoustic peer review (Steven Cooper, The Acoustic Group, May 2026) found the framework fundamentally flawed. Key findings include:

• Noise is measured at street level only. Residents live on Levels 2-9. Cooper measured a 9 dB difference (roughly double the loudness) at apartment height.
• Venues already breach BOTH the current noise standard AND the proposed (more permissive) SEP limits on a quiet night.
• The framework was assessed by the same consultant who wrote the rules (Arup authored the NSW Acoustic Toolkit AND assessed Manly against it).
• No protections exist for existing residents. The framework protects new buildings but not the people already living here.
   

MANLY RESIDENTS FOR RESPONSIBLE VIBRANCY

We back a thriving Manly with sensible limits. We support vibrant entertainment, live music, and local businesses. We do not support a framework that displaces families, damages health, and sets a dangerous precedent for the entire Northern Beaches.

We call for:

• Reduce the SEP boundary to exclude residential zones where noise cannot be adequately managed
• Independent health and social impact assessments before Gateway proceeds
• Genuinely independent acoustic review by a consultant who did not author the framework
• Retain DCP protections requiring outdoor patron areas to close by 10pm
• Protect West Esplanade and other R1 zones with specific conditions reflecting their residential character
• Permanent independent noise monitoring at residential boundaries, funded by venues

Byron Shire Council rejected this same framework and is delivering vibrancy through targeted DCP amendments that benefit ALL businesses, not just licensed venues. Northern Beaches Council can do the same.

THE HIDDEN THREAT TO PROPERTY VALUES

The mandatory Section 10.7 planning certificate notation would permanently flag affected properties within and adjacent to a late-night entertainment precinct, on title, in Council records, and in all sale documents. This is a direct, uncompensated devaluation of properties purchased under existing R1 zoning protections.

Tenants are already leaving. Property values are being damaged now.

SIGN NOW

More than 800 people have already signed. Help us reach 1,000.

If you live in Manly, on the Northern Beaches, or anywhere that could face a similar proposal: your signature matters.

✅ Sign this petition (free, 30 seconds) 

✅ Share with every Manly resident you know 

✅ Donate to fund independent experts: https://www.gofundme.com/f/cwqmd-challenge-manlys-entertainment-precinct-noise-plan 

✅ Get involved: Email secretary@manlycommunityforum.com or manlyresidents@gmail.com

✅ Follow us: Facebook – Manly Residents for Responsible Vibrancy (coming soon) 

✅ Website: https://manlycommunityforum.org/

SUBMIT TO GATEWAY (when open)

When the statutory exhibition period opens, lodge your own submission to the NSW Department of Planning.  We will provide templates and guidance.