There are serious concerns one of Melbourne’s most important live music venues could be negatively impacted by a massive apartment complex proposed to be constructed next door.
Illustrations of SJB Architects’ planned eight-storey development shows apartments would sit directly against Howler, including against the wall of the venue’s band room.
Under Victorian law, developers are required to follow the ‘agent of change’ principle when proposing a development within 50m of a pre-existing live music venue. This means that any strategies to minimise noise must be undertaken by the developer, not by the venue.
While the proposal notes Howler’s premises have “been converted into an art and live entertainment space suitable for exhibitions, workshops, screenings and performances”, it does not outline any particular noise attenuation strategies.
“So I can’t guarantee there won’t be on an impact on the people who will be living there…“Whilst we’ve done nothing wrong, we could be left in a bad situation.”