In the Dunedin City Council community services committee meeting yesterday it was revealed the city’s live music action plan is due to be presented for consideration by the council in June.
Save Dunedin Live Music (SDLM) began working with the council two years ago after noise complaints against two central city music venues became the catalyst for changes to existing soundproofing rules.
Since then, council staff have been working with the group to develop the live music action plan.
Themes would include addressing noise issues around music venues, developing spaces for live music, increasing audiences, and supporting sustainable music enterprises.
Any decision about funding would be subject to public submissions as part of the annual plan process before final decisions were made about May.
Save Dunedin Live Music spokesman David Bennett said the group had been expecting completion of the plan for "quite some time" but the process had proven to be more bureaucratic than they had originally envisaged.
"We’re extremely hopeful as we want the plan to be delivered and implemented as soon as possible," Mr Bennett said.
The group met with council staff two weeks ago to discuss how regulatory planning difficulties such as soundproofing and noise control would be overcome under a variation to the district plan.
He believed the time it had taken for the completed plan to be presented to council was reasonable, and was looking forward to having it delivered to the public to enable everyone to have their say.
Dunedin City Council general manager, Māori, partnerships and policy Jeanette Wikaira said the plan would address the key concerns such as city planning and noise and "map" them out to be actioned by council.
However, the discussions had revealed a need to speak with the wider community, and other groups in the music scene, she said.
"There are other parts of the music community that need to have a voice," she said.
