A Sydney Council has been forced to backflip over signs telling children and dog walkers to be mindful of making "excessive noise" outside exclusive beachside homes.
The signs at Manly Lagoon in Sydney's Northern Beaches, asking residents to "respect our neighbours" and keep the noise down, were installed earlier this month at a popular dog park, after a single resident complained.
Northern Beaches Council said it decided to pull the signs down after discovering that a resident had been "targeted" for making the noise complaint.
"As a duty of care to this resident, council was left with no other choice but to remove the sign that was causing the concern," a spokesperson for the council said.
"We will continue to work with our community to find a balance that manages the expectations of all our residents."
Manly resident, Jodie Healy said locals were upset about the sign, and the council's knee-jerk reaction to a single complaint.
She said those buying a house near a park should expect some noise.
"It's the only area really that you can walk your dogs, play with your kids and have a bit of space," Ms Healy said.
"I've never seen [a sign like this] in any other park or playground in Australia so it does seem unusual."
Kerri Cassar said she felt it was "consistent" with other decisions by the Northern Beaches Council.
"It's typical of what the council does all the time, they listen to the tall poppies and ignore the everyday people."
Another local, Brian Thompson, said it was "amazing" the matter had gone so far.
"With the amount of noise that goes on with construction and roads … the noise you hear at parks is probably nice to hear," he said.
"I can't see what people would complain about with children having fun and making a bit of noise."
