EPD would like to acknowledge the valuable suggestions provided by the Liquor Licensing Board, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and the Hong Kong Institute of Acoustics on the content of this Practical Guide.
In a vibrant and densely populated metropolitan city like Hong Kong, it is not uncommon to find liquor licensed establishments in close proximity to nearby residential areas, or even in the same building, thus causing grave concern on the noise impact arising from these premises particularly after 2300 hours, when most people expect a tranquil environment for their rest/sleep. As such, it is paramount important to maintain good neighbourliness to ensure adequate and effective noise mitigation measures in place to avoid jeopardizing people's living quality.
Under the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO), noise generated from industrial or commercial activities shall comply with the relevant noise standards. It is generally recognized that operation of liquor licensed premises would include many activities that may generate noise. This practical guide highlights the importance of prior planning to design out noise problems. It also gives a brief description of potential noise problems associated with liquor licensed premises and provides guidelines and examples on practical noise control measures that may be applicable for new liquor licensed premises to avoid any potential noise impact and for existing liquor licensed premises to mitigate the noise problems.
The reader is reminded that fulfilling the recommendation of this practical guide does not necessarily mean compliance with the legislative requirements. Besides, the recommendations made in this booklet are not exhaustive. There may have other alternative solutions to achieve the same or better result. The reader is therefore recommended to consult independent experts for ensuring the use of proper and cost effective noise control measures.
This practical guide aims at reminding potential liquor licensees to seek early acoustical expert's opinions in a) selecting proper licensed premises location, b) identifying any noise impact to nearby residents and c) providing mitigation solution before making their applications to the Liquor Licensing Board. This booklet is also designed for reference by existing liquor licensees who may not be aware of the noise concerns or does not have sufficient noise control knowledge. Architects, interior designers, building services engineers or other relevant professional parties may also use it as a checklist to ensure that proper mitigation measures have been taken to mitigate potential and existing noise problem at the licensed premises. The main contents are illustrated by schematic diagrams for easy understanding.
Potential noise sources arising from liquor licensed premises that may affect nearby residents include noise from musical activities, ventilation and pumping noise, construction, decoration and renovation noise and noise from patrons entering and leaving the premises and noise from patrons having social interaction activities at public place outside the premises. Those types of noise are all regulated under the NCO. Details of the control are described in part 2 of this practical guide.
The reader may note that there are other guidelines, namely "Good Practices on Ventilation System Noise Control" and "Good Practices on Pumping Systems Noise Control" which deal with ventilation system and pumping noise problems and possible solution. For noise arising from construction, decoration and renovation work, please refer to the "Technical Memorandum on Noise from Construction Work other than Percussive Piling" and the "Technical Memorandum on Noise from Construction Work in Designated Areas".