A noise complaint about this summer’s Shed Seven gigs in York could put future outdoor concerts at risk.
One resident has applied for a review of the premises licence of Museum Gardens, where the Sheds’ homecoming gigs took place in July.
He says that the noise levels amounted to a “public nuisance” and that “it is not a suitable location for loud outdoor music events”.
Two other residents wrote to support his objections.
However 22 others, including a member of Shed Seven themselves, supported Museum Gardens with some describing the noise complaint as “ridiculous”.
Councillors now have to decide whether to revoke or change Museum Gardens’ licence, which could prevent shows being staged there in future.
Futuresound, who put on the Shed Seven gigs on 19 and 20 July, have already said they were “looking ahead to which international artists we can bring to Museum Gardens in 2025″.
It is a resident of Westminster Road who has applied for the licence review. He says that “the amenity of many thousands of residents would have been affected by this event which did not finish until after 22.30 in the evening”.
He goes on: “An outdoor music event, which offers limited opportunity for noise suppression/ control, should not be allowed to take place in such close proximity to residential properties…
“The centre of York, or anywhere close to large numbers of residential properties, is not a suitable location for loud outdoor music events.”
The council’s environmental health team told him that the event “exceeded the permitted noise threshold by 2dB however, they advised that such an increase would not be noticeable”.
He said suitable noise limits should be imposed as a condition of the licence “to avoid causing a nuisance to residents in the surrounding areas”.
What environmental health say
Michael Golightly, a council environmental protection officer, said that the sound levels were monitored throughout the gigs, “and when levels were exceeding or approaching the noise limits relayed this back immediately to the sound engineer to reduce the noise levels of the event”.
“Four locations were monitored around the site, together with roaming monitoring around the site and the event was broadly compliant with the noise limits imposed.”
Noise limits were exceeded “on occasion” at two locations around Museum Gardens, but only marginally “and did not meet the threshold whereby they would be considered to be a breach of the licence conditions”.
Mr Golightly added: “There were only four complaints received and when they were received, monitoring was undertaken outside the complainant’s properties and the levels observed were well below the noise limit threshold.”
He added that the conditions on the premises licence were robust and “adequate for controlling noise from the events”.
What other residents say
Two other people have backed the Westminster Road resident. One person who lives in Marygate said while they felt the York Proms went ahead with “acceptable levels of noise”, the Sheds’ gigs created “prolonged, invasive and inescapable ‘boom, boom, boom’ noise and vibration disturbance – caused largely by amplified drums and bass”.
But 22 have written in support of Museum Gardens as a gig venue. One wrote:
These events created a buzz around York that I have never witnessed before and I can’t even imagine the boost it will have created for the local economy with pubs, restaurants and hotels full for the entire weekend and taxi drivers telling me it was one of their best weekends of the year.
As far as I am aware there were no incidents of anti social behaviour, so for this to be cited as a public nuisance sounds ridiculous. I can only assume it is the same sort of complaints that out of towners buying posh apartments in the city centre make, complaining about a little bit of noise from a pub that has stood there for 300+ years.
Many made similar points. One wrote: “I for one would love to see these events continue for years to come. Bringing with them a diversity the city needs to continue to be on the cultural map and keep us thriving.”
Others pointed out the lack of opportunity to hear big live music events in York, and contrasted the good behaviour of those who attended the gigs with antisocial behaviour by people drinking in the city centre on weekend nights.
“Anyone who is opposed to such positive and well-organised events should frankly be ashamed of themselves,” a York resident of 49 years wrote.
“Instead of hindering these initiatives, we should be encouraging more of them, as they greatly contribute to the well-being of our city and its residents.”
What the Sheds say
Shed Seven guitarist and songwriter Paul Banks has also written in response to the noise complaint.
They write: “Having worked within the music industry at a professional level for over 30 years, I can confidently say that the events held at the Museum Gardens were among the best organised and well-run I have ever experienced.”
He goes on:
Music and the arts play a crucial role in nurturing creativity and ambition in young people. By hosting concerts and cultural events, York can continue to be a city that fosters creativity and provides inspiration for the youth, encouraging them to believe in their potential and pursue their passions.
The Museum Gardens is a vital cultural venue that not only enriches the local arts scene but also brings substantial economic and social benefits to York. I fully support the renewal of its license and look forward to seeing more events like this in the future.
What the Museums Trust say
A representation from York Museums Trust, which owns Museum Gardens, said that the gigs were two years in the planning, which included a community engagement programme.
“Feedback has been constructive rather than negative and evidence which will be produced at the final hearing will illustrate that the collaborative approach with the Public Protection team and the sound crews allowed the event to pass without causing public nuisance.”
The MD of a company which provided technical production at the gigs wrote: “We as a production company put months of planning into the audio system, to provide maximum on site levels and coverage, whist keeping offsite levels to an absolute minimum.
“We achieved this to within a decibel, and did not break a 15 minute LAeq measurement over the weekend. All of the artists agreed that while this was a quieter then normal level, they were all happy to work within the limits as the site was so amazing, and all shared a passion to help this gig happen again.”
- A licensing hearing next Monday, 30 September, will determine the premises licence review. Committee members have five options, ranging from taking no action, to altering the conditions of the licence to revoking it all together