A council-owned park looking for a permanent marquee
Direct Acoustics collaborated with Tilgate Park, a council-owned recreational park located in West Sussex, to develop a sustainable acoustic mitigation solution that would help them obtain planning permission for a permanent marquee. The goal was to meet the high demand for weddings at the park while addressing the challenge of controlling sound levels for nearby residents living just 200m away.
Tilgate Park is renowned for its natural beauty, featuring picturesque lakes, miles of woodland, and a nature centre that is home to numerous species of animals, including otters, owls, and meerkats. Due to its breathtaking surroundings, the park is a highly sought-after destination for weddings however historically the park had to offer weddings on a TEN (temporary event notice) limiting the number of events thus making the venture less financially viable.
Recognising the need for a more permanent option, Direct Acoustics partnered with Tilgate Park to create a sustainable and long-lasting mitigation plan. Leveraging our expertise and technologies in acoustics, we worked closely with the park to develop a comprehensive strategy that would address the concerns of nearby residents while also meeting the needs of wedding parties.
Project scope
Direct Acoustics and Tilgate Park initially met at the 2016 Showmans Show and stayed in touch. By 2021, it was evident that the park needed an effective acoustic solution to gain planning permission for a permanent marquee, as conventional speakers were causing excessive breakout noise, making it difficult to comply with the tight acoustic regulations.
The Code of Practice on Environmental Noise Control at Concerts (CPENCC) recommends the Music Noise Level (MNL) not to exceed the background noise level, measured without an event in operation, by 5ddB(A) over a 15-minute period providing event finishing pre 23:00 hours.
With our expertise in controlling sound and noise pollution in a variety of open air venues, when considering the areas topography, noise receptor locations and surrounding ground conditions, Direct Acoustics were confident our Zone Array highly directional speaker system had the capacity to comply with pertinent regulations.
Demonstration
To prove concept and ensure amplifed music could be controlled to meet CPENCC criteria, our team visited Tilgate to conduct a complimentary Zone Array demonstration to the management team and the local Environmental Health Officer. As at Tilgate, if your venue is seasonal, or you are waiting for planning permission before erecting your marquee then we can still bring the Zone Array to you, utilising a ground support truss as seen below.
When demonstrating the Zone Array we can also make the most of the time to gather the relevant data to carry out a written Noise Impact Assessment.
The result
Following a successful demonstration, Tilgate Park commissioned Direct Acoustics to supply, not only the Zone Array speaker system but a complete event marquee package. Direct Acoustics installed a 12m x 24m Tectonics UK clearspan marquee, timber flooring, Zone Array Directional Speaker, and Symetrix Prism Process Limiter, which controls the output power and therefore the volume level of the DJ or band. Direct Acoustics now maintain the marquee each year at the request of the management team.
Direct Acoustics has worked with alongside before venues and councils for the last 15 years, enabling venues to grow their business’s responsibly, in line with environmental regulations whilst keeping local communities happy.