The ACT Government has introduced a plan to save the city's nightlife, four years after warnings that rapid development was forcing a shutdown of entertainment venues across Canberra.

Key points: The ACT Government will trial relaxed noise laws across the city over the summer

The ACT Government will trial relaxed noise laws across the city over the summer The trial will inform the development of entertainment precincts that enshrine protections for Canberra's night economy

The trial will inform the development of entertainment precincts that enshrine protections for Canberra's night economy The plan follows the closure of several venues and nightclubs across the city in recent years

Under the plan, Canberra's city centre will become a cacophony of noise for the summer, as Planning Minister Mick Gentleman trials a "special entertainment area" that will relax the rules and test the city's appetite for noise.

"We haven't had any complaints, really, from the general community about noise levels in the city centre," Mr Gentleman said.

"So we think this is an opportunity to pilot more live music, high noise levels in the city centre over the summer months and during the festive season, and see how that runs with the community and business."

From that trial, the Government will identify tension points and adjust noise limits to strike a balance for those who live, work or play in the city.

Nightlife advocates warned in June that noise limits could become Canberra's lockout laws. ( ABC News: Jake Evans )

Mr Gentleman has also committed to identifying future entertainment zones where new buildings would be required to have better noise insulation, information packs for potential residents, flexible noise limits, and other actions to protect live entertainment — including potential order of occupancy laws that would give preference to a venue if it was established before affected residences.

The plan also points to Brisbane's Valley Sound Machine, which simulates the noisiness of Fortitude Valley in different times and places, as a tool that could potentially be introduced to Canberra in the future.

Industry warned city was falling silent from development

Earlier this year advocates banded together in a "protest jam" to break the city centre's noise laws and prove how easily a recently approved hotel would be able to make noise complaints and shut down nightlife in the CBD.

They warned that under the current laws the city would be "silenced" by the Garema Place hotel, and that the ACT Government had not done anything since promising to develop a plan for Canberra's night economy in 2015.

In June protesters met at the site of a proposed hotel in the city centre to show how easily the 50dB noise limit could be broken. ( ABC News: Jake Evans )

More than two-thirds of new development in Canberra is occurring within urban areas, but despite growth in Canberra's tourism and night-time economies, the entertainment sector has been in decline.

In the 2018 financial year, 10 creative and performing arts venues shut down, alongside almost a fifth of Canberra's nightclubs.

Nightlife advocates attributed that in part to investor uncertainty and an increasingly stifling city precinct.

Mr Gentleman said the new plan will bring certainty to businesses dependant on the night economy.

"I'm certainly hoping that it will help, particularly for live music venues, increase the opportunity for them to grow into the future," he said.

Plan a 'best practice document for the country'

MusicACT head David Caffery said Canberra was now a leader in national music policy.

"This is a good news day for Canberra," he said.

"It's going to mean you're going to have more employment opportunities, you're going to have more places to share your art.

"Touring artists will have more options to come to Canberra — it's very common that touring artists will skip Canberra at the moment because they don't have an appropriate flat floored venue, for example. You want to dance but you're stuck in a seat. They don't want to play to that."

The first stage of the action plan will be completed by the end of July next year.