North Byron Parklands - Cultural Events Site

The proposal is no longer for a camping ground for two music festivals a
year but for a "TOURIST FACILITY" 20 days of events (5 FESTIVALS?) and
an International Conference centre with accommodation, an
administration building and golden view bar ???? Having festivals in
byron has gone far from a bit of inconvenience for us locals once a
year when Splendour was in Byron and all the patrons left regularly
and shopped and ate at Byron with Byron businesses also on site
providing food and other services - in mid winter when there is not
much else happing on the same days weekend - and of course the
business was owned by locals and profits spent here? most likely. NOW
? This proposed tourist faciltiy will have five maybe festivals a
year, tender out the stalls to the lowest bidder who bring their staff
with them from other places (how many stalls are by byron businesses
or residents any more ?), The festival organisers now propose CREATING
ONE PATRON OR MORE FOR EACH RESIDENT OF ALL THE BYRON SHIRE (which is
31,000 acording the the census 2016). Parklands are proposing some
events at 32,000 and others at 50,000 - nearly double the full shire
resident population AND AT CHRISTMAS WHEN WE HAVE KIDS AT HOME AND
WANT TO HAVE FAMILY TO VISIT AND TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY OUR FACILITIES
??? When and if our children see the festival patrons they can be
visibly under the influence of drugs or alchol - and its peak holiday
time in a family holdiay area who want a family environment and not to
worry too much about supervising kids at each moment. Now - Worse
still is the patrons are not going to contribute $ to our local
businesses - they are now a captive audience who pay $60 if they leave
the site . THERE ARE 14,000 RATE PAYERS IN THE SHIRE - So we have
14,000 people paying for a company to sell events to up to 50,000
patrons to be able to camp here - but what about the facts - they are
now slipping into the latest development application - AN
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE ? which will be all year ?? THE GOLDEN
VIEW BAR - which will be open all year??? NEXT IMPORTANT POINT - A US
GIANT EVENT COMPANY CALLED "LIVE NATION" NOW HAS THE CONTROLLING SHARE
in the two current festivals - profit is going out of the area as well
as work opportunities for our local stall holders/food vendors. MORE
CAUSE FOR CONCERN?? Where will the SEWERAGE be processed and sent out
to sea? or flow into a river??? Isnt our Byron shire sewerage system
at full operation ? if not close to breaking point? The festivals will
have twice the number of patrons as our local needs to add to the
effulent. Will treated sewerage be treated on site and released into
the ocean at our end or into the Brunswick river? The Parkland site is
a flood plain. Or pumped and added to our outfalls already going into
the ocean further down? Compost toilets? ok - but its a significant
amount and on a flood plain. FALLS FESTIVAL is right on Christmas -
family time - kids at home. Family trying to visit - usually all
accommodation gone but now in high demand for festival patrons who
want to stay off site. Byron is usually maxed out at Christmas and now
super maxed - not like Splendour in the middle of winter - we can
manage 30,000 people then. That is what i think some locals may be
remembering - a one off festival in winter - its not much concern -
But look at the tourist facility application and the usurping of
planning from locals to State planners in an iconic attractive area -
again ???? - so much corruption is now coming to light in all areas of
state and federal politics and how realistic is it for us to imagine
that the local population's lifestyle will be allowed to continue in
iconic areas that already attract tourists let alone a unique area
with a culitvated local brand of businesses called "Byron" ?? Other
issues have been - noise from the event, threat to what has been a
native wild life corridor for millenium ( there really are koalas in
the area ), vehicle movements - the cars and buses for patrons,
sewerage and waste disposal - goes to infastucture paid for by our
14,000 rate payers, illegal camping (what fun having someone living in
your street, dumping in your garden or rubbish bin or park and using
all our amenities for free), festival patron behaviour and drug use in
front of our children, fire danger, police declaring their major
concerns in a number of areas, traffic problems, massive stress to the
hospital system including drug related emergency department
admissions, (dont have a heart attack when a festival is on) THE WORST
POSSIBILITY FOR US IS LOSS OF LOCAL PLANNING - OUR OWN COUNCIL VISIONS
FOR THE AREA Woolworths Brunwick Caravan Parks Brunswick Fish co-op
West Byron housing development Parklands Tourist Facility These are
other projects that have bypassed the local council planning visions
for State planning DOP - and made or would make major changes to our
area. Woolworths is done. Other land developer grabs are - The holiday
parks at Brunswick with possible loss of lots of areas we walk, swim
and have as playgrounds, West Byron housing plan with its
infrastucture problems and big population increase, and the Brunswick
fish co-op being turned into a very large shopping and restaurant
prescinct with full removal of all trees in the whole area and two
stories - shops and apartments filling the whole space ? This is my
major concern that developers are able to ride over our local council
consideration or planning vision. Are we 14,000 ratepayers being sold
out by the State to highest bidders? Devlopment for profit only -
NEVER MIND THE FAMILIES WHO LIVE THERE? and the residents who pay the
rates and costs.

I believe the consideration is very simple. Basic conditions were
proposed for the trial of the proposed development were defined to
satisfy impacts on the community and environment. These have not been
met, and ignored when it suited the event. If this attitude was
evident during a trial period, it will be even worse once they have
approval. Specifically, my objections are: * Noise impacts on
surrounding residents and environment * Internet and mobile services
are impacted on my business, especially during the time when the
temporary towers are being installed, potentially causing life
threatening situations for people in need to call emergency services *
Uncontrolled short term rentals in the residential areas have meant
that some houses have been turned into abolition blocks for a caravan
park in our village * Environmental corridor on Jones road linking
uplands areas to the coastal lowland swamp is a joke.- particularly
over the overpass. * Emergency services are meant to cope with the
influx of high need individuals without additional support. * The
closest beaches are unpatrolled and dangerous. Someone will die
through inexperience in the surf, especially if drug impaired. *
Parking at the beaches is inadequate at the best of times, with 50,000
people nearby, it will be impossible on a hot day * The site is
subject to fire and flood threats, and does not lend itself to easy
evacuation. Floods can rise quickly as was evidenced last year. *
Events like these should be near mass transit systems, or completely
away from populated centres like Woodford. This site is too far away
from transport and accommodation services to take advantage of
existing infrastructure, but close enough to a large residential
population to cause impacts.

15th February 2018 To NSW Planning and Environment Introduction I am a
resident of North Ocean Shores, and this submission is on behalf of
North Byron Business Chamber. The chamber represents business members
from South Golden Beach, New Brighton, North Ocean Shores, Ocean
Shores, Yelgun and Billinudgel; the closest suburbs to North Byron
Parklands. At our recent AGM, Business Chamber members voted
unanimously in support of the North Byron Parklands proposed
activities. Our formal position is: The chamber strongly supports the
SSD of North Byron Parklands and supports the ongoing use of the land
for festivals, events and community activity. The chamber considers it
would be a major economic loss to the region if the festivals were to
cease or be further restricted. The chamber's support of Parklands is
based on the following assessments; Emergency and Incident Control
North Byron Business Chamber members and myself have toured the
Parklands grounds with the General Manager, Mat Morris, and witnessed
the Emergency Control Centre [ECC] in action. I can speak with some
authority relating to emergency and incident controls, since: * I have
been Chair of W H & S Committee in Sydney for a major ASX company, and
have expertise with developing emergency policies, procedures and
equipment, for a $ billion business. * As Chief Emergency Officer I
have personally managed emergency evacuations in CBD locations
relating to Fires, Bomb Threats, Blackouts, Flooding and demolition
and construction incidents and identifying criminal activity incidents
warranting Police intervention. * I have W H & S, Liquor Licensee and
Business qualifications. Parklands ECC has an air of professionalism,
order and technical sophistication. They make use of the latest
technology for communication, co-ordination and preparation for
weather events, crowd control or incidents. After operating 9
festivals with no major incidents, I am confident Parklands efforts
have been rewarded with having minimised public risk. Police have a
visual presence, without being authoritarian, so they add to the
community spirit of the events, and offer a sense of security and
protection. Responsible service of alcohol is evident, they limit
quantity of purchase of alcohol, and police station themselves near
bars. Even on New Years Eve, I was surprised that the crowd was very
well behaved due to these controls. My assessment is that Parklands
co-ordination of Police, Fire and Emergency Services and their
Emergency Control Centre provide world class safety and well-being for
patrons. Infrastructure and Jobs North Byron region lacks
infrastructure, since the original masterplan for Ocean Shores was
never completed, hence Parklands facilities are a very welcome
addition to the under-resourced area. The chamber recognises valuable
improvements to the area, such as the Yelgun roundabout. The chamber
believes there are benefits of the festivals such as Jobs for locals:
Photographers, musicians, tradespeople, stall holders, craftsmen,
security, hospitality, administrators, artisans and many more. And
many Businesses benefit including Restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs,
accommodation providers, local shops, food suppliers, service
providers, transport companies and many small business operators.
Traffic As a North Ocean Shores resident, who lives within 4 ks of
Parklands, I was personally affected by traffic during the first
couple of festivals. I had a diabolical situation at Yelgun with
security trying to force me into a traffic jam in the opposite
direction of my house. However, those teething issues have since been
alleviated, and I no longer experience any traffic issues. Traffic on
the highway is increased on the opening and closing days of the
festival. Outside of those days traffic is as quiet as usual. I
realise there are a small few residents affected that live adjacent to
the site, however the 95% of the community living south or north of
Parklands and don't need to use the road that leads to Parklands.
Additionally with alternative routes via Billinudgel or Ocean Shores,
residents can completely avoid the Yelgun exit if they are concerned
about traffic congestion. However, I have travelled to Splendour and
Falls recent Festivals on several occasions and had no traffic trouble
at all, and no longer feel the need to avoid the Yelgun exit. Noise
The first couple of festivals noise could be heard late at night.
However, the noise issue has been alleviated and has greatly improved
to the point that residents 5 minutes south of Parklands would not
even know a festival was happening. I can't hear the music at all at
any time of the day or night. The chamber believes that their noise
monitoring process is an excellent control of the noise. Economic
Impact The festivals create economic output of $47 million a year for
the Northern Rivers and $28 million for Byron Shire. This output is
irreplaceable, so if Parklands lost the ability to host festivals it
would be a catastrophic economic loss to the region. Byron has issues
of unaffordable housing and high rents, low wages growth, coupled with
limited opportunities for employment. The festivals create employment
equivalent to over 6oo full time jobs, and local businesses employ
extra staff to service higher demand. Festival organisers spend $16
million a year on staff, goods and services. The Business Chamber sees
Parklands as a vital contributor to North Byron tourism. The extra
revenue generated by the festivals is significant, and the potential
loss of that income is of great concern to businesses. Therefore the
chamber supports the SSD and extra festivals and use of Parklands.
Stakeholder engagement Members of the Business Chamber have been
involved in stakeholder engagement regarding festivals, and found that
business support for Parklands is widespread. Here's some comments
from business owners; * The last festival was the best one ever. I
didn't have any problems. * The festivals provide the much needed
cream on the cake for businesses, and they are a game changer. * I
couldn't bear to think of losing festival business. It's fair to add
that many businesses feel that they cannot speak publicly about their
support for North Byron Parklands for fear alienating a few vocal
residents who oppose the festivals. Managing a business in a regional
community is complex. In an economic environment where disposable
income is guarded, some businesses already struggle to survive. So
many businesses can't afford to publicly take sides and potentially
lose customers. Hence this should be weighed up as to why the PAC may
not receive many submissions from local businesses. Community Concerns
I attended a meeting of Dept of Planning and Environment and community
members at Ocean Shores Shopping Centre on 2.2.18 from 12.30 to 2pm.
Attendees were largely community members opposing Parklands, mostly
retirees. The demographic who attend the festivals or business owners
was under-represented since it was in the middle of a work day. Whilst
the chamber supports Parklands based on economic prosperity, we
equally value the opinions and concerns of the community, and do urge
Parklands to attend to community concerns voiced at the gathering such
as, * Yelgun Road - Claims that Yelgun Road is blocked during
festivals which restricts resident's ability to come and go or have
guests, and impacts school bus and children's drop off during
Splendour. This affects their "ebb and flow" of life. Please devise a
plan that is more manageable for residents of Yelgun Road. * Claims
that EFTPOS and internet access to the community is depleted during
festivals. Have the extra communication towers been assessed to be
sufficient? * Noise is still high on residents list of concerns and
needs to be constantly monitored. [Albeit I can no longer hear any
noise from my property in Larelar Court and on the festival site I
couldn't hear any music by the time I'd walked to Parklands car park].
* Impacts on local wildlife, reserves, water ways and beaches should
be managed * Ownership of Live Nation- Concerns that profits of
Splendour will go to the United States since 51% ownership of Secret
Sounds [Splendour owners] has been sold to Live Nation. Can profits
and cash flow from Splendour be quarantined to serve the benefit of
Byron Shire? * All calls to the Complaints Hotline be logged * Some
residents and rate payers feel their opinions should be weighted
higher than festival attendees. * Residents are scared that this is
just the start of an uncontrollable boom that puts a strain on the
infrastructure. Any further growth beyond this SSD should be managed
in consultation with community. * Use of helicopters to ferry artists
should be minimised, particularly late at night * Parklands
contributions [rates?] to council - Fear that the funds are spent by
council in Byron, rather than North Byron/ Ocean Shores. Council
should spend the funds in North Byron to improve roads and
infrastructure * Bus Transport to Ocean Shores Shopping Village and
Billinudgel -Some residents say they can't get a car park at the
shopping centre during festivals. The Centre owners want more bus
transport from the festival to the shopping village to boost local
business, an initiative that the chamber supports. Additionally the
bus route should extend to Billinudgel village so the Billinudgel pub,
Post Office and General Store can share in boost to local business. *
Stall holders - it concerns the business community that the festivals
have some stall holders from Sydney or elsewhere when there are many
eligible local stall holders missing out on the opportunity. Could the
festival organisers please prioritise local businesses rather than
those from further afield? I have the sense that concerned residents
have been burnt by the teething problems of earlier festivals and
haven't relaxed their thoughts on the matters even though noise and
traffic control has greatly improved. Some residents say they feel
"locked in their homes and locked out of their villages". However, I
don't feel that way, nor does any of my North Byron neighbours feel
that way. The consensus from the Business Chamber is that Parklands
has rectified the major issues causing disruption to the community and
environment. Nonetheless we recognise there is a small vocal group
opposing Parklands whose needs should be addressed. People movement
and behaviour Although some people are concerned with the convergence
of 1000's of people into the area, the fact is the bulk of the people
stay on the site from the moment they arrive until the end of the
festival. They merely veer off the highway at Yelgun onto the
Parklands site moments away, and don't step foot into Byron's
residential or commercial zones. This is beneficial over New Year, and
hence Byron Bay town ship has become much more family friendly.
Festival goers and revellers are self- quarantined into a highly
organised and policed scenario at Parklands, leaving Byron Bay safe as
an alcohol free zone. This is a stark contrast to pre-Parklands times
when Byron was an uncontrolled New Year's destination resulting in
anti-social behaviour. I was impressed with the behaviour of attendees
over New Year at Falls, and despite it being a major celebratory time,
I did not witness any anti-social behaviour or severe drunkenness.
It's fair to say people were having a good time in a conscious manner
and police presence around bars was evident. Responsible service of
alcohol was evident, with bars limiting the amount of drinks that
individuals could buy. There was also free drinking water stations
available. Considering the youthful demographic, it was surprising how
well the crowd behaved. I believe the festivals have nurtured a
culture where respectful crowd behaviour is valued and well exercised.
Personal Impact It is quite possible to not even know the festival is
occurring, with no noise or traffic affecting the North Byron
residential areas. The only indication that something is going on is
seeing a few extra people at the bus stops in the afternoons and
promotional ads in the newspaper. I have noticed that Coles is
slightly busier than usual, however that is to be expected over the
height of New Year and School holidays. I have always been able to get
a park at the shopping centre. I walk on South Golden and New Brighton
beaches on a daily basis and have never noticed any negative impact.
There is probably an extra 30 people on the beach...tops, which is to
be expected during holidays whether there are festivals or not. Scope
for Future use of Parklands Imagine living near Centennial Park and
not be able to use it; this is the case for North Byron community
members. The name suggests the space is Park land but it is not open
to the general public throughout the year like a Park, since it is
private land. Aside from Parklands, North Byron has very little open
green space for outdoor use, such as picnics, BBQs or nature walks. I
propose and support that DPE & Parklands consider opening a section of
Parklands for public use year round, with toilets, picnic tables, bins
and BBQs and shaded areas, suitable for general public to use.
Additionally, cleared nature walks would provide the community with a
great space to exercise and commune with the environment, which
improves health and wellbeing. Weddings Parklands landscape is very
picturesque and would be an ideal location to hold outdoor weddings,
with the Conference Centre able to host the wedding celebrations.
Wedding business is lucrative for the shire, but there is very limited
venues in North Byron. If Parklands can have weddings on site, it
would open up new business for celebrants, photographers, caters,
musicians, wedding hire and provide a valuable service to the
community and further improve the economic impact. I urge Parklands
and DPE to consider approval of having weddings on their site. Given
that weddings are confined to small numbers [compared to festivals],
they would have no negative impact on the community and make valuable
use of the space. Use of space for camping It would be ideal if
Parklands could have approval to host camping, outside of their own
festival events, so that their venue could support other community
events. For example, the chamber has considered hosting a North Byron
Surf Festival, however, we have limited infrastructure or
accommodation in the immediate vicinity. If we could use Parklands as
camping space, for community events it would provide further economic
benefit to North Byron by keeping people in the area. North Byron
Masterplan The history of this region is that the original plan for
the Parklands site would have been part of North Ocean Shores,
providing schools, shopping, medical centre and further community
parks and open space. Since the original master plan didn't occur the
area is an incomplete living zone. Hence the facilities that Parklands
can provide to the community are highly welcome. We don't even have a
service station or Surf Club [only have life savers for about 4 weeks
a year]. We suggest that PAC urges Byron Council and to attend to a
Masterplan for the area, to include completed bike paths, painting and
upgrade of all bridges, Repair to all pot holes in the road, A beach
access bridge from the Ocean Shores shopping, improved transport,
including restoring train services to and from Billinudgel Train
Station If Parklands are able to contribute to any of the above this
would be an added bonus. Summary In Summary, benefits from Parklands
events are economic growth, a boost to North Byron tourisms, more jobs
and contribution to the arts, music and culture of the region, and
improved infrastructure. On top of this it's a controlled and
regulated place for people to just have fun. The chamber is confident
that Parklands Management take conserving nature seriously and they
have provided reports that indicate events are not causing undue harm
to the environment. North Byron Shire Business Chamber strongly urges
the Planning Assessment Commission to approve the SSD. Warm regards
North Byron Business Chamber

The North Byron Parklands site and its infrastructure provide a sensible,
scalable and sustainable solution for the needs of the the Northern
Rivers community in hosting events and festivals upon which the region
has built its reputation. The site's proximity to a number of
townships, roadways and airports ensure fluid accessibility without
placing stress on existing town centres (as a Byron Bay resident of
40+ years I very much appreciate that the festival crowds no longer
overwhelm our small town centre and its severely lacking
infrastructure). The site and its festivals offer the region a
spectacular cultural diversity in the artists, musicians and
associated talent that the festivals host. The festival patrons inject
a lot of money into the local economy and support, among others, the
hospitality, accommodation and tourism operators of the region --
while North Byron Parklands also offers much needed ongoing employment
to many in the region. It would be devastating for the community,
region and festival patrons if Byron Bay and beyond was to lose this
fantastic community-and-environmentally-minded venue. As a
long-standing local resident and patron of the arts, I 100% support
North Byron Parklands' application for permanent approval.

I wholly support the application for permanency for the North Byron
Parklands Cultural Event Site (SSD 8169) for significant cultural,
ecological, and economic reasons. Culturally-speaking, the creative
industries are integral in rendering the uniqueness of the Northern
Rivers region, and music festivals like Splendour in the Grass and the
Falls Festival provide an abundance of opportunities for individuals
and businesses from these industries. North Byron Parklands ("NBP"),
if granted permanency, will without a doubt become a cultural
powerhouse in line with the identity and ethos of the region. The
absence of a facility like NBP would be detrimental to both the
creative and logistics industries locally who already depend on
Splendour and Falls. There is an urgent need to support the creative
industries as they are complementary to tourism, as well as being more
sustainable. Many cultural benefits would flow on from the events held
at NBP, such as multicultural and multigenerational consumption of the
arts. NBP plays an important role in maintaining the unique cultural
status of the Northern Rivers region. Ecologically, NBP has a strong
sustainability focus. NBP has many low impact technologies dealing
with onsite water and waste management, including 246 waterless
toilets, which is the largest of any outdoor event in Australia. Under
the proposed development application, the site would be event free for
over 300 days per year, during which time management would be
committed to the restoration of the natural habitat. This would
include the planting of native species and the removal of noxious
weeds. When the property was purchased a decade ago, it was naturally
exhausted from years of harmful agricultural practices. Studies have
now shown that more native flora and fauna species are now present as
a result of the careful restoration of the natural environment.
Further, NBP will transfer 28ha of land to the National Parks to
expand the Billinudgel Nature Reserve. In sum, this DA will provide
significant environmental benefits for the area. Economically,
Splendour and Falls inject $25m into the local economy, providing
countless jobs and opportunities in an area that is notoriously
difficult for gaining employment. NBP has donated over $200,000 to
local community groups and schools through a grants scheme. Splendour
and Falls also give hundreds of tickets to fundraising bodies,
providing vital economic benefits for local community groups. If this
development is rejected, both the Falls Festival and Splendour in the
Grass will be homeless, leaving thousands of staff without jobs and
tens of thousands of willing patrons without an event that is, for
many, their entertainment highlight of the year. Considering the clear
cultural, ecological, and economic benefits, I believe this
application should be approved.

APTNSW believes festivals such as Splendour in the Grass were meant to
be held in a farm paddock which would revert to farmland after the
event. Thus no regular public transport would be required, just
copious charter buses on the big day. The figure of 200 to 400 buses
at past festivals given to APT by Parklands management suggests around
half the patrons use this semi-public transport. This is very good for
a site without rail service. There is a danger bus patronage will fall
away if private vehicles leaving the carpark are able to jam Tweed
Valley Way and the motorway ramps at the end of a festival. There
needs to be a separate system of busways within the site arranged so
that buses can be given preferential exit. APT feels the State
Significant Development Application with its "Conference Centre" and
"associated accommodation" is nothing like the vision outlined in the
first paragraph above, and is likely to lead to further applications
and to massive development over time. Staff will need accommodation,
then "tree changers" will be told the benefits of living at Parklands
and a Byron Wildlife Resort will lure foreign tourists etc. This would
all make more sense if the proponents were heavily involved in having
the railway reopened. The start of a major development precinct
adjacent to motorway ramps needs careful public transport planning to
ensure it does not become a mass of pavement blighting the
countryside. At a minimum it requires plans for regular bus services
to serve staff, guests and residents. Covered busstops are needed
placed closer to major buildings than the carparks. If the car park is
closer to the destination building than the bus stop then public
transport is at a disadvantage. Unless the application is amended to
show a public transport orientation it should be rejected and the site
revert to a cow paddock after each of the two major festivals

Industry Assessments Department of Planning & Environment GPO Box 39
SYDNEY NSW 2001 Attention: Pamela Morales Dear Madam / Sir, I would
like to object to the proposed North Byron Parklands Cultural Event
Site (SSD 8169) and modification of the Concept Plan (MP09_0028 Mod 3)
on the following grounds: 1. The increased capacity usage of the site
proposed of 2 events up to 35,000 paid patrons ( equating to 40,000
people on site) with allowable increase in one event up to 50,000 paid
patrons is too high an increase and has not been trialled. Permanent
approval for such numbers should not be given until it is clear that
the road network and emergency evacuation for these numbers is
possible. 2. The increase in frequency of usage by additionally
allowing up to three events up to 25,000 paid patrons and 5 events up
to 5,000 paid patrons and two small community events greatly increases
the impact on the frequency of traffic impacts. To date it is always
the bump in and bump out patron arrival days that create problems with
traffic for me when I am trying to get my four children from Wooyung
to Mullumbimby for school and sporting commitments. The two events
held per year to date have often occurred during school holidays when
sport and School commitments are lowest but this will change if the
proposal is approved. Please do not allow this increased intensity of
usage. 3. The use of Wooyung Rd as an official patron arrival and exit
route. This has not been trialled. Wooyung road has a 14 tonne limit
and is not suitable for use by coaches, waste removal trucks, water
trucks etc that do not comply with this limit. It is also a very
winding and dangerous road and if it is used as an arrival gate it
will encourage patrons to park or be dropped off at this gate or walk
along this road to enter at this gate, which has always been opposed
by the Roads and Maritime Authority. 4. The noise levels used in the
trial are too high and any future events should be limited to noise
levels of background plus 10 during the day and background plus 5 at
night to limit impactson neighbours. Our home is two kilometres away
and sometimes when the events have been held our windows shake and the
noise reverberates through our house but we have given up complaining
as Parklands always told us it complied. Please do not allow that to
be permanently approved and at this increased usage of 10 events per
year. It takes away the peace and quiet enjoyment of my home and
should not be allowed. Thankyou for your consideration of these
matters. Kind Regards, Tricia Cherry

here is the link to a discussion had by the community regarding falls
festival, there is overwhelming support for this festival and
splendour in the grass. our community supports permanency
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BurringbarNoticeboard/search/?query=falls

As the director of a company that holds a contract with the organisers of
a festival on the site I support the application for a permanent site.
The events and operation of the site provides important economic
outcomes to the region, along with positive arts and culture outcomes,
providing important social pride in the area. The events are produced
with the best of world practices and the organisers have shown
themselves to be socially aware and responsive to the local community.

An astonishing amount of revenue has flowed through the north-New South
Wales region and about 300 fulltime jobs have been generated with half
going to northern rivers residents. With such positive monetary and
economic gains Byron has witnessed with the arrival of these two
events, it makes sense that the events stay in the area.

I strongly object to the proposal. Firstly, once again the local
community will be severely impacted by noise, traffic , and general
disruption caused by these mega festivals. The local community have
had these festivals foisted on it for the five year trial period
during which there have been numerous breaches of the guidelines. It
seems to me that , if North Byron Parklands have not got their act
together in the five year trial period it is pointless giving them an
extension. Also the local community is already inconvenienced by these
festivals.If an increase in numbers of attendees and an increase in
days during which events are held the community will be further
inconvenienced. The level of sound and traffic will obviously
increase. We were here long before North Byron Parklands. It seems to
me that the local council should now take over control of this site as
per the original agreements put in place five years ago.

Splendour in the Grass have always been supportive of Byron Youth Service
and have helped us out with tickets to raffle for our Fundraising
endeavours. We hope to continue our relationship in the future.

As a musician who has worked and lived on the north coast for over 20
years i believe this festival site offers important artisitic and
cultural opportunities for our region as well as injecting much needed
dollars into our local economy. I see no problem in increasing the
number of attendees and can see many benefits in making this a
permanent festival site. Im sure there will be strict environmental
monitoring of the site and in my experience of both festivals,
environmental concerns are given a high priority.

This Cultural Events Site - State Significant Development Application
(SSD 8169) has my support. Approving the North Byron Parklands'
application will bring jobs to an area with high unemployment rates.
The Parklands' operators have an enduring track record with large
capacity festival and event management and they can competently run
Splendour with 50,000 people. It would be successfully operated and
professionally planned. Parklands has received awards from Byron Bay
council for their sustainable practices. They care about the
environmental impact to the site and have invested in composting
toilets, water efficient showers and greywater re-use. North Byron
Parklands' proposal should be approved because of the incredible
opportunities and benefits it gives the community. I have not made any
reportable political donations over the past two years. I agree to
have the content of my submission and/or my name and suburb included
in a list of submitters that may be published by the NSW Department of
Planning and Environment.

I strongly support having festival and other events at the North Byron
Parklands on a permanent basis. There are so many positives reasons:
The festivals and events bring enormous revenue to our shire for the
people employed at the festivals, the stallholders, the retail shops
in our Shire and accommodation providers. A thriving music,
entertainment, arts scenes brings vitality to our area for the locals
and a reason for visitors to come. The impact noise/music and road
traffic seems minimal in comparison to the many benefits.

i think that festivals and those that attend dont really bring much to
the locals. There are traffic problems,rubbish problems,noise problems
and turn our area into a party town. i live in Brunswick Heads and
eventhough I have a business here,the only day thatI see a huge
increase in profits,is the last day,when the traffic is gridlocked and
people hang around,rather than sit in standstill traffic.I thought
that these festivals were under a trial protocal and now it seems that
there are going to be possible/probable permanent structues built on
the site. There is a lot of rubbish inand aroun Brunswick
Heads,eventhough they do get volunteers and others to pick up rubbish.
The idea of 5 more festivals,to me is just greed! I honestly used to
love living in Brunswick Heads,but this area already attracts a lot of
holiday makers and tourism,without adding more festivals and possibly
an increase of the festival size. I also have always been incredibly
cocerned with the possibility of a bushfire or a fire on this site.I
still remember the concerns expressed years ago at a meeting held at
The OceanShores Country Club,by the head of the local and rural fire
brigades. Access to the site at such a time was deemed virtually
impossible and evacuation,was deemed to be potentially catastrophic.I
also feel that for the people attending ,there is very little money
left to spend locally as the festival tickets,plus camping,plus onsite
costs ehaust a lot of the festival goers finances.I have had people
camped in my driveway,rubbish dumoed up and down the street,loud and
out of it people keeping us up at night. I also am concerned about the
water use during the festivals. How much water do they have onsite?
And where does it come from? Rocky Creek? In the future,as in Capetown
at the moment,if there is a water shortage,who goes without? Residents
should be given priority with the most essential thing for life,other
than air! I believe it would be a good idea to charge Air BNBs,a
higher water tarriffs and encourage water consumption advice in all
holiday rentals. I truly hope you consider all applications
presented,but do feel that big business will prevail,especially with
the current state government.Going forward,my partner and I
willprobably leave this lovely little town ,as it is already starting
to burst at the seams,just like Byron Bay!

North Byron Parklands is a place that is very close to my heart, having
been home to a number of my favourite music events including Splendour
in the Grass and The Falls Festival. Other than the fact that this
site holds many fond memories for my friends, family and I, I
recognise its sheer importance amongst not only the music and creative
arts communities, but to the local communities surrounding parklands
itself. The events that are held at North Byron Parklands including
Splendour and Falls, have placed environmental sustainability at their
core, and are actively leaning on their loyal youth audiences to
further educate a new generation on the importance of looking after
our environment. North Byron Parklands brings a wealth of employment
opportunities amongst young people in the area, which is hugely
significant given the current local youth employment rate being much
worse off than the regional average. We have a very bright future if
North Byron Parklands receives permanent residency - speaking from a
personal perspective, this is our music lovers home and a place that
holds dear to many! WE LOVE YOU NBP!!!

The North Byron Parklands should become a permanent home for music, arts
and cultural events as the impact on the local environment is minimal,
yet positive for the local community.

Great venue, great location, secluded location but close enough to make
getting there easy.

Splendour and Falls have become Iconic and Integral events for the Byron
Shire. They have broadened the creative space for local artists and
more importantly fostered our young peoples ambitions within the music
industry. I have two children who have grown up in Byron Shire and
these events have been great for their development.