Most of us have experienced it, a noisy neighbour who panel beats his car in the late at night, or a nearby nightclub that hosts loud events in the middle of the week.
But Sundowner resident, Gary van Riet said he can no longer take the noise coming from the Ticketpro Dome, which the City of Johannesburg touts as ‘one of southern Africa’s most definitive multi-purpose indoor entertainment arenas’.
“Initially, the sound was not so bad, but it has become more frequent and louder,” he said.
Van Riet, a resident of the area for 20 years and the chairperson of the body corporate of his complex, said he has laid numerous complaints with the Dome, but still sometimes suffers sleepless nights. “There are many people who agree. Especially when there is an outdoor event,” he said.
The Dome’s general manager, Cynthia Penprase, well-acquainted with Van Riet, said the venue has the applicable licence and the venue applies for sound exemption approval when a particular event needs one, sometimes giving permission to extend the sound check or rehearsal time after 6pm. “The Dome is particularly aware of the surrounding residents and their responsibility to them, so this is managed by the Dome,” she said.
The Randburg Sun conducted a few interviews with residents and a few agreed with Van Riet, while others said the noise did not bother them, but more often, the traffic did.
Traffic related to large-scale events, according to Penprase, is reduced by working with Metro police who get the area around the Dome cleared as soon as possible after an event. “Since the Dome has been in existence, there has been rapid residential area growth, with traffic growing exponentially and has, therefore, encroached on the Dome’s footprint.
“With the expansion of retail and residential areas, the daily traffic has, excluding Dome events, increased.”We host about 42 events a year, mostly expos, and less than 2 per cent of the events are live. 2016 has been an extraordinary year with the number of concerts hosted,” she said.
Van Riet remains concerned that the venue does not abide by bylaws and causes noise pollution. He asked if the Dome has been adequately soundproofed since it was initially built to be a car showroom and not an entertainment venue.
An independent acoustic engineer, Barend van der Merwe, said the Dome is, indeed, soundproofed and the doors of the Dome are kept closed during an event. He said it has been treated with acoustic absorbent material.
“I take noise readings at specific measuring points each time a live event is hosted at the Dome to ensure the sound at the different measuring points is in line with the permission granted by the local authority. The structure itself reduces the noise level by up to 45 decibels, as measured at the boundary of the property, ” he said.
The Noise Control Regulations regulate the live entertainment activities at the Dome. Section 13 of these regulations allow the Dome to host such events should the owners apply to the local authority for exemption of regulations.
Van der Merwe said the sound emitted from the Dome’s live events is not of a continuous nature and added that if the sound carried on every day, it would be a different story.
Shaun Harrison, district chief of events management for the City’s EMS, said the Joint Operations Committee (Joc) will release a courtesy letter to the ward councillor about an upcoming event’s exemption so that the public is informed. He said that if an event is non-compliant or unsafe, Joc will tend to it. “We are present at every single event at the Dome, and it complies.”
Details: Gary van Riet on 083 325 3690.
