Residents say the old
railway buildings are inadequate to handle the noise generated by dance parties
and other events, and that the park and the Redfern Waterloo Authority have
done little to solve the problem.
Resident Bill Sheridan
said that despite years of complaints to both state and local government he had
seen little reaction from the authority, which manages the ATP site.
“(It’s) just a lot of hot air and they’ve done nothing to rectify the
problem,” Mr Sheridan said.
He also said that while
noise readings had been taken in the area, they had not been taken from his
home. Jan Murphy, who also lives in the area, said sound quality and volume
varied depending on who was running the event, with more professional events
more likely to have better equipment.
“We’re not against
them having these functions,’ she said.
“But you’re in old
railway sheds, they’re echo chambers.”
Robert Domm, CEO of the Redfern Waterloo Authority, said he
was aware of the complaints but added that his staff had told him that Mr
Sheridan and Ms Murphy were the only ones who regularly complained.
“There’s no doubt in
my mind (Mr Sheridan) is hearing noise, but the issue is whether what he’s
hearing from the ATP is excessive,” Mr Domm said.
He said that he had
ordered more scientific testing and that it would be up to the sound engineers
to decide the best place to test noise levels from.
“I’m going to be
guided by the experts,” he said. “It’s not up to me to determine the
location. The ATP’s been doing testing for years and the advice I’ve been
getting has been showing the noise is within acceptable limits. But I’m going
to get to – the bottom of this.”
State Environment
Minister and local councillor Verity Firth
said she was aware of the problem.
“I sympathise with
the frustration of residents affected by neighbourhood noise,” she said.
“In my capacity as
a City of Sydney councillor, I have raised the
matter concerning Australian
Technology Park
with the council CEO.
“I have requested that council investigate the
complaint and provide a comprehensive response to myself and the
complainant.”