AINTREE racecourse was last night warned it could face prosecution if it fails to curb the noise made by concerts at its Equestrian Centre.
Racecourse officials are due before a hearing of Sefton Council’s licensing committee for a review of the venue’s licence after residents complained about the Summer Pops festival in July.
The council’s environmental director William Milburn has suggested that noise controls and a finishing time for musical events of 11pm be imposed at the venue, which currently has a licence until 3am.
The police have also requested to be notified 28 days or 90 days (depending on crowd size) before any major events, other than horse racing, are held.
Last night, ward councillor and council leader Tony Robertson said he hoped a compromise was reached, but that if the problem of noise persisted as a problem the environmental department could take legal action.
Officials at the racecourse last night said they were keen to work with the council to resolve these issues.
The £4.6m International Equestrian Centre opened earlier this year as part of a major re-development of the world famous racecourse.
The 56,000sqft centre features a main arena suitable for hosting equestrian competitions, as well as offices and lecture rooms.
Its use for the three-week long Summer Pops festival in July generated complaints of loud noise from residents in nearby Brekna Avenue.
Cllr Robertson, who represents the Molyneux ward, said residents had not foreseen that the centre would be used for concerts when it was given the go-ahead.
“If the venue is going to be used for concerts in the long term, then lessons from the Summer Pops have to be learnt.
“We have to reassure the residents that they are not going to be disturbed on a regular basis.
“Hopefully a sensible compromise can be reached. If the noise levels do become a problem at future concerts, the environmental officer will take action.”
In the licence review documents, Mr Milburn sets out that sound should not exceed background noise by more than five decibels over a period of 15 minutes at a distance of one metre from the facade of homes.
It also sets out that bass frequencies of 63 and 125 Herz should not be above 70 decibels at a distance of one metre from homes.
The police have requested that, when a crowd of between 1,000 and 5,000 is to attend events other than horse racing, they be given 28 days notice.For events with a crowd over 5,000, they say 90 days’ notice should be given.
A spokesman for the racecourse said: “We are working with the council to come up with a solution that everyone is happy with.”
The licensing committee will meet at Bootle Town Hall on Tuesday, November 20, to discuss making changes to the licence.
davidbartlett
