North Byron Parklands - Cultural Events Site

To Whom It May Concern, This letter is written in support of North Byron
Parklands application to become the permanent home for Splendour in
The Grass, Falls Music Festival and limited one day concerts and
smaller community events. Violent Soho have performed and attended the
parklands for a number of events in the past including performing at
Splendour In the Grass in 2016 and Falls Festival over the 2016/17 New
Year period. These performances formed key moments for our band and
stand as some of the biggest of our careers. Having outdoor venues
equipt to cater to such events is extremely important for aspiring,
emerging and established artists. First it gives aspiring musicians a
benchmark for what they can achieve. When an emerging act performs at
the festivals it gives them a platform that opens them up to a huge
amount of new fans. Getting booked on a festival like Splendour in the
Grass also opens doors to other performance and career opportunities.
For established musicians performances at Splendour in the Grass or
Falls Festival often form a career peak in album cycle and gives them
a massive captive audience to perform to and celebrate with. When we
performed at Splendour in the Grass 2016 we were in the height of our
album release cycle, our performance was packed and the press
surrounding the performance was huge. The following press supported
our application for P-1 Visas to tour the United States, we also went
on to complete multiple sold out dates on our Australian WACO Tour and
even won an ARIA for Best Group and a nomination for Best Live Act.
Attending a festival like Splendour in the Grass is a rite of passage
for most kids, giving them the opportunity to experience culture and
art in a controlled environment with their mates. Event spaces like
the North Byron Parklands and thriving arts scenes are important for
society as they give youth inspiration to pursue careers in music and
the arts. The events also invest money back in the local communities
who come together to celebrate. North Byron Parklands should no doubt
become the permanent home for Splendour in the Grass, Fall Festival
and other community events so that other artists can continue to get
opportunities to perform and grow their careers.

North Byron Parklands is such an incredible place, it can not only hold
large style events but also can hold smaller community events.
Personally for me and my company Mr Vintage, this site in particular
with Splendour in the Grass and Falls Festival has provided a gateway
for my Business to grow and thrive in this beautiful part of the
world! I have personally seen the site grow and establish itself over
the past several years of attending and being a part of these
festivals. I 100% believe I would not be where I am today without the
North Byron Parklands site and these festivals in this area and I
cannot wait to attend more amazing events on this site over the next
many years I SUPPORT NORTH BYRON PARKLANDS :)

The festival grounds have become both an Icon for the Byron Shire as well
as a godsend for local businesses including venues, accommodation,
supermarkets, general stores hardware and everything in between.
During the slow months, festivals such as Splendour in the grass and
other potential events are what small local businesses need. A little
boost to get them through the rough months where bills can seem
UN-payable and customers can't be found.

Festivals in the middle of the year at the parklands, which is the
slowest time of year for businesses bring a substantial amount of
profit to the shire.

I wish to express my objections to Parklands proposal to become a state
significant site. This seems to be a cunning move by Parklands to
avoid the original PAC approved concept plan which stated that after
the trial period the approval to hold festivals would return to the
Byron council. Instead of preparing for this Parklands applied for an
extension of the 'trial' and then applied to become a 'state
significant site' thus avoiding any chance for the council or locals
to have any control. Parklands broke the consent conditions of it's '
trial period' almost 100 times, as has been documented by concerned
locals, and yet DOP appears not appear to have accurate records of
this and has only issued a few small fines. If the state approves the
application it will leave Parklands to oversee it's own operations and
local councils and residents will have no say,this is most
unfair.Recurring issues include noise, traffic, impacts on the
environment, impacts on local infrastructure (roads, water, sewer
systems) and impacts on residential amenity and health. Fire risks
continue to be great, especially since the festivals have numerous
bonfires and are located in a fire-prone area. Problems have arisen
repeatedly throughout the trial, many unpredictable, e.g., the on-site
traffic nightmares at Splendour 2016, recurring outbreaks of "festival
flu", unpredictable noise disturbance throughout the area, and
repeated illegal use of fireworks on the site. Parklands may claim
that all the problems have been identified and will easily be
mitigated, but that's pie-in-the-sky thinking. Much unpredictability
remains. We can't be sure what mess or disaster might develop because
of the festival . One of these will inevitably be the loss of wildlife
in the nature reserve adjacent to the site, which the state spent
millions to protect! If granted approval under Section 94 Parklands
will only contribute $420,000 to local counciland and most of this is
proposed to be spent in Byron Bay ,not in the north of the shire where
the festival site is situated.Now that the worlds largest festival
conglomerate, Live Nation, owns 51% of the two major festivals,
permanent approval of this proposal will put profits generated at
Parklands into the hands of that conglomerate, an entity that is not
answerable to elected officials or local residents. We are already
completely overun with tourists and our infastructure is crumbling -
roads that are just potholes,inadequete sewerage, traffic jams,lack of
affordable rentals for local workers (Airbnb,holiday lets, all very
profitable for the investor and totally destructive of the local
community). It seems most unfair that the voices of those of us who
live here is drowned out by Parklands patrons who have been encouraged
to write submission in favour of the approval - how can a small
community compete with 35,000 + festival fans!! Although I am inclined
to think the state government only cares about money and has no
concern for the environment or the people whose lives are being
trashed by this travesty of justice I am submitting this with a prayer
that the voices of the people will be heard and you will not approve
this destruction of the place we call home.

I earnestly entreat you not to allow any increase in the number of
festivals held at The North Byron Parklands site. Also I am alarmed at
the requested increase in patron numbers to 50,000 and feel very
strongly that this is inappropriate, unnecessary and unfair to the
residents of this area. I fail to see any reason why the amenity of
our rural neighbourhoods, and the village of Brunswick Heads should be
negatively impacted in order to increase profits for a private
business. I think that if the same multinational promoters, and local
business partners were to put on festivals in Sydney suburbs issues
like noise and traffic and overtaxed transport systems would quickly
quash any suggestion that such an event could occur. Why then, should
people living in the quite large area affected by noise and traffic
from the North Parklands site be expected to put up with five
festivals with 50,000 people each? No matter how well run the
festivals are, the people of this area overwhelmingly do not want them
here, and they should be heeded. There are many existing venues in
cities that could be used for these events. The increase from 35,000
to fifty thousand people signifies nothing more than increasing greed
by the people who profit from our discomfort. In the case of people
who live close by, the promoters-who do not live nearby, are profiting
from the pain of those who do live nearby, suffering ongoing distress
and disputes over noise pollution and detrimental effects on their
quiet rural lifestyles. Dear Mr Roberts,North Byron Parklands has a
submission awaiting approval to extend the number of very very noisy
music festivals they hold in our quiet and peaceful rural area.
Currently they hold two festivals a year for 30,000+ people.They wish
to increase the number of events to 8 a year, and the number of
patrons to 50,000.I live in Brunswick Heads with a population of 1600
people. Every time there is festival our small town is inundated.Two
years ago I managed volunteers paid for by The Falls Festival in
Brunswick Heads. As part of managing that project I counted passengers
arriving and departing by bus from the North Parklands Falls Festival
site.We had two days during that festival where over 1,000 people were
bussed from the festival site into Brunswick heads-in a two hour
period. I mention again here that our population is 16000 people. On
two of the festival days 1700+ Falls patrons came by bus to the town
which was already full of holiday makers and tourists at the very
busiest time of year between Xmas and New Year.I was so distressed by
the Festival Management’s blatant disregard for the amenity of our
town and well being of residents that I no longer accept any work from
the Falls Festival.I think they run their Festival well, but noise is
a constant issue for residents who live on farms nearby, and for
residents in Oceans Shores.Whilst I have had a tolerant attitude to
the festivals, I now feel very very strongly opposed to them due to
the greed that is leading them to apply to have so many more events
and so many more patrons. They know full well that the local
communities do NOT want this, but they do not seem to care.The
American Corporation ( Live Nation) that owns 51% of the two current
North Byron Parklands Festivals has stated that they want to use these
festivals to push into the Australian market and expand their reach.
Our entertainment industry struggles at the best of times to see
artists paid fairly and given fair conditions-the inroads by this
corporation that made a profit of 7 Billion dollars last year does not
bode well for Australian acts trying to get ahead. I would be very
interested to know whether they paid tax in Australia last year?Mr
Roberts, I sincerely hope that you care about us, and that you will
protect our peaceful rural lifestyles by lending your voice to ours
and stopping the expansion of events and patron numbers at North Byron
parklands. Yours sincerely,

With thanks to the generous funding obtained by Splendour in the Grass,
we have been able to secure fun and engaging activities for the boys
to participate in with our Uncles. The last activity we had was a
sailing adventure in Lake Ainsworth which was definitely one of the
highlighted activities of the year. The funding is to be used with the
Sports and Rec centre which offers many great physical activities for
the boys and uncles to participate in.

My name is Raewyn Foster Address : 358 Tweed Valley Way, Wooyung NSW
2483 (Lot 122 DP 1003400) I have sent a submission earlier but have
not received an acknowledgement, as my son did, so will enter another,
but please ignore this if you already have one on record from me. I am
the owner of an adjoining property to North Byron Parklands. I
appreciate being a neighbour to property holders that value their
land, treating it with the respect it deserves. I am advised that The
Parklands site at Yelgun, NSW seeks to be a permanent cultural event
site While originally I was concerned about traffic control, I
believed that they would learn by experience and this certainly was
the case. I believe North Byron Parklands is an asset to our community
across the board and know the pride it brings to the young folk in our
area to have world class festivals on our door step. I believe, that
having witnessed the manner in which festivals are handled to date,
that they will be well equipped to manage the size of events requested
in their application. I see this facility as an asset to our community
and look forward to it being available for fund raising events and
school activities in years to come. Their efforts to do the best by
our environment is a delight to witness - very few landowners
could undertake the depth of work carried out with regards to both
flora and fauna and it is ongoing. I believe that this proposal simply
allows North Byron Parklands to continue on as they have in the past,
but in a more viable manner and I have no doubt that this is what
this application is about. If this property was completely rural, as
mine
is, it would probably have a more detrimental influence on fauna
and flora. We have witnessed very little anti-social behaviour and
while there was a little littering it was promptly removed by North
Byron Parkland's employees' There was initially non-patrons attempting
to access events through our property but steps have been put in place
to control this. Effective security is in place and works very well.
I congratulate NBPL on the success of SITG and FFB festivals which
I believe are two of the most successful festivals in Australia -
for this to be ongoing, this application should be granted. Thank You
Rae Foster

PREVIOUS SUBMISSION:
I am the owner of an adjoining property to North Byron Parklands and
have owned the property with my late husband for over thirty years.

Over that time, my family and I have attached a very strong
relationship with the land and strive to maintain it in the best
possible state we can. This is not necessarily the value all
landowners may have in this area, but I certainly believe it is the
case with the North Byron Parklands team.

The work they are doing on their land is amazing and we believe is
only viable, because of the use of the area.

We understand that holding festivals is a very challenging exercise,
but they have proved that any problems that do arise, are responded to
very promptly and security is a major focus for them.

We have found they show their neighbours great respect, especially
when festivals are being held and we believe that they are providing a
facility that will be of long-term benefit to the surrounding
community.

I therefore support the submission that North Byron Parklands becomes
the permanent home for Splendour in the Grass and Falls Festival
Byron, along with smaller, cultural and community events.

I write as a local resident to voice my concerns about North Byron
Parklands and also the proposed increase of attendees and future
activities. South Golden Beach / North Ocean Shores is a small
primarily residential community. For much of the year it is a quiet
and peaceful place. Byron Bay (some 20-30 mins) traditionally was the
location for major events. Our quiet community sits currently between
two major music festival venues. North is the North Byron Parklands
(Splendour, Falls) and south Tyagarah (Blues fest). During these
festivals the following changes occur to our peaceful community. 1
increased volume of tourists who mainly have no understanding or care
about our little community and its residents 2.increased volume of
litter 3. Increased number of people using local residents front yards
as toilets, places to camp, sit, party at all hours of the day and
night 4.increased loud and disruptive noise from buses, vehicles and
pedestrians between 12am and 5am 5. Difficulty for residents to access
local services 6.total loss of peace during festivals especially
Splendour 7. Volume of the music / bass especially during Falls
(northerly winds) is constant and very audible. It is bad enough that
Byron township has become a place without heart. So many locals won't
venture there. But the footprint of party, drugs, alcohol and
disrespect is spreading into all corners of the Shire largely fuelled
by the big business of music festivals. It was problematic enough when
owned solely by NBP but now it is part of an US conglomerate, I am
even more concerned that our peaceful residential community's values
and needs won't be heard. Lastly, the area is adjacent to a prime
natural space. The volume of people, decibels and other related
impacts put significant stress on the fauna of the area.

I've attended and worked at North Byron Parklands and its a world class
event site. North Byron Parklands not only creates employment for the
40 local staff that I personally engage to work on this event but
creates training opportunities for future years. The team I engage to
work on events at North Byron Parklands range from local skilled
labour through to trades, musicians and building suppliers. North
Byron Parklands showcases an International and Australian based
entertainment industry in an incredible location. North Byron
Parklands should continue to grow as an international destination for
bands and music lovers bringing cultural diversity and employment
opportunities to a rich national arts and music industry.

The great events that can be hosted in this space and the Culture and
actual live events happening today that need to be kept going to grow
and support many people working within and around the area.

I have visited Parklands on numerous occasions and it is a wonderful
site. It would be a shame if this venue was unable to host the great
events that have been held there over the last few years. There would
be a massive gap in the market if this submission were to fail.

1) Much unpredictability remains. Recurring issues include noise,
traffic, impacts on the environment, impacts on local infrastructure
(roads, water, sewer systems) and impacts on residential amenity and
health. Fire risks continue to be great, especially since the
festivals have numerous bonfires and are located in a fire-prone area.
Problems have arisen repeatedly throughout the trial, many
unpredictable, e.g., the on-site traffic nightmares at Splendour 2016,
recurring outbreaks of "festival flu", unpredictable noise disturbance
throughout the area, and repeated illegal use of fireworks on the
site. Parklands may claim that all the problems have been identified
and will easily be mitigated, but that's pie-in-the-sky thinking. Much
unpredictability remains. We can't be sure what mess or disaster might
develop because of the festivals. 2) The proposed sewage management
raises many concerns. Sewage is to be buried or sprayed on the
Parklands site, which straddles two water catchments. Both tactics
carry risks of contamination of ground water and surface water that
will affect nearby residential areas and the Nature Reserve. On-site
land formations and frequent site flooding both present major
challenges to the planned disposal of effluent on site. Also, no
provision is made for dealing with inorganic matter in the waste
stream, e.g., sanitary products, plastics, etc., or for treating
chemicals that become part of the waste stream, e.g., prescription
drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and other unmetabolised chemicals. And
it's not clear if UV light or chlorine will be used to disinfect the
waste and if the process will be fully effective. Parklands says they
will implement their sewage treatment plans "progressively as budget
allows" although a complete sewage treatment system was supposed to be
in place by the end of 2017. So they're not yet prepared to handle the
sewage they generate. What they can't treat on site will have to be
trucked to overloaded sewage treatment plants in Byron Shire or
elsewhere. This is not responsible management. 3) We should be
deciding what happens in our shire. If this proposal is approved, the
local community and its elected officials will again have been pushed
aside, as they were by the Part 3A approval in 2012. The state will be
in charge but will not be accountable to local residents. Byron and
Tweed Councils will have no say. The DOP will continue "overseeing"
the development from Sydney but will simply trust Parklands to manage
everything. This is not right and not fair. Byron Council, in
consultation with local residents and business owners, should be
determining the shire's destiny--not the state government. 4) Byron
Shire is overloaded with tourists. Permanent approval of this
development is not in the best interests of the shire because it will
bring increasing numbers of tourists to the area. Byron's tourism
industry needs to be balanced with enterprises that are not dependent
on tourism. 5)DOP oversight of the trial has been lax. Parklands
claims their compliance with consent conditions has been close to
100%, but locals have documented close to 100 breaches and other
irregularities since trial approval was granted. The DOP has issued
only a few Penalty Infringement Notices (fines) and Official Cautions
(no fines) and does not even appear to have an accurate record of
breaches and irregularities. (The DOP has not yet provided clear and
complete information about breaches.) If the state remains in charge,
oversight and enforcement will continue to be lax and inadequate.

N/A

I believe North Byron Parklands should be a permanent home to music, arts
and culture in NSW. Not only would this have positive economic impact
on the Byron shire, it provides a huge resource of opportunities for
local youth employment which is problematic in the area.

I support the proposal as someone having attended the festivals for over
12 Years I've seen the great work these festivals have done to support
the community and bring a wonderful experience to many Australians

I support the parkland for festivals as a permanent position.

Social and economic inclusion via popular culture provides enrichment for
local youth and also provides employment opportunities for citizens of
the Byron Shire and beyond. Festivals are the only time we as a family
truely spend quality time together and I'm talking sisters, brothers
and cousins. Some of my fondest memories are attending feativals just
like those run by North Byron Parklands. Cheers.

The North Byron parklands should become a permanent music and arts
cultural site as it supports industry and has helped establish the
Byron shire as a global leader in entertainmment

We have attended Splendour for the last 5 years as a family of 5 and
Along with other families this is such a great way for us to see live
acts and arts in a safe and harmonious environment I believe the
organisers work to the best of their ability with local organisations
including council and police to provide a safe and well run festival
We have nothing but respect for the locals and their beautiful part of
the world and we hope that governments councils and the north Byron
parklands owners can reach an agreement that suits all involved
....this and the blues fest site are world renowned and should
continue for all to enjoy I would also think that employment
opportunities and the benefit to local small business has to be
considered when making decisions these festivals are as I said earlier
world renowned and when we travel to overseas festivals we always come
home feeling that we do it so much better here is Aus and especially
north Byron parklands!!! If the proposed 50000 limit is not achievable
then I would hope that the status quo could remain pleeeeeeese x love
and peace