The Byron Visitor Centre supports the North Byron Parklands becoming a permanent home for art, culture and festivals in Northern New South Wales. Since the relocation of festivals like Splendour in the Grass to the North Byron Parklands site, the festival experience has obviously been a more streamlined one for both attendees and locals alike.

Having a purpose-made festival site for the large scale events in the Byron Shire, as well as smaller more boutique events, makes a lot of sense. It already helps decrease traffic congestion in busier built-up areas like Byron Bay and also provides a single area of focus for events that run throughout the year.

We have attended many Splendour In the Grass festivals at North Byron Parklands as well as Falls Festivals. The North Byron Parklands is an ideal site for the festival and is one of the best sites in the country. I support the application for a permanent home for SITG at this parkland. The infrastructure is excellent and they go out of their way to look after the environment there. As a local, I like the festivals being there, it has minimal impact on me and in fact enhances and helps the local economy. Please let it be a permanent site for these festivals.

The Parklands site is a world class, unique venue which showcases the natural beauty of the Byron area. I have been to a number of events there and am always so impressed with the experience it provides those attending the festivals.
I value highly, the efforts by Parklands management to preserve and improve the natural environment. I work locally and drive past the site regularly and am always so impressed with how clean and untouched the site looks within days of festival completion (such a credit to those managing the site).
I strongly support the submission that the Parklands site continue to host world class events and be utilised more for other events.

I have to drive past the North Byron Parklands site to go to and from work. During Falls and Splendour I have to leave earlier due to the large volume of traffic. More festivals and more traffic will impact on my commute time.
I am a shift worker and the bass sound is inescapable at times. It is audible through closed doors and windows at times making it difficult to sleep between shifts.

It's great for the area

Burringbar is around 10 kilometres from the Parklands site, we anticipate more local businesses will emerge to service a growing demand for tourists, including cafes, restaurants and small scale accommodation.

Beneficial Outcomes
1. Development of more eco-friendly accommodation, cultural and nature based activities in the hinterland areas
2. Bus route extension along Tweed Valley Way through Mooball-Burringbar-Stokers Siding-Murwillumbah during festival weeks
3.Use of Parklands by local community groups, not for profits and schools for community events outside of festival weeks
Parklands site has had substantial ecological rehabilitation of habitat
4. Increased trade during festival weeks
Investment in local area youth development and employment
5. The opportunity for community not for profits to participate at the festivals in a fundraising capacity
6. Employment at the festivals of local youth
7. The promotion of all our villages in appropriate marketing initiatives
8. Fantastic opportunity to enhance the proposed rail trail and make use of the grounds when not in festival times as camping for sports tourism

Yours sincerely,

Eva Heath
19-21 Broadway, Burringbar. NSW 2483
[email protected]
Ph 0266771181

I would like to personally submit in writing re- the parklands site to stay open. With events such as splendour in the grass this is just a start of what this site can do in bringing people to the Byron region. With an approved site already in place it can only expand the site opportunities to cater for music , culture and art events. Not to mention the extra employment for the region and revenue it brings from visitors.

Thankyou for your time. Regards Travis Armstrong

The North Byron parklands is an excellent place for festivals; the grounds are managed excellently by people who care about the impact the festivals are having on the surrounding community and environment.

The North Byron Parklands are a unique and unparalleled event site, they provide a platform for artists and musicians to showcase their talent in a setting that puts Australia on the map globally. Where other event destinations have tried and failed [a good example is the Gold Coast, previously they hosted Summafieldayze, Good Vibrations, Big Day Out and V Festival. Although the events themselves exited the market their sites are either now commercially developed or in limbo awaiting development e.g The Spit] which is why supporting sites such as the North Byron Parklands is critical to the cultural development of New South Wales and in a greater sense, Australia. Without these sites, fewer opportunities are present for local musicians and artists to showcase their craft, and there are fewer outlets for the public to experience music, art and culture and also meet likeminded individuals. The local economy has a huge injection from events such as these, the event I work for injects approximately $3-5 million into the Sunshine Coast economy and we are only a 1 day event, I'm sure events such as Splendour and Falls would be significantly more, and allowing more events to operate there, and longer running times would only further this. While it's not just about money, you cannot deny that fuelling local jobs, increased revenue for businesses and therefore council and the local government is a huge benefit to the growth of the area. I'm sure there are many other benefits long term to the expansion of the site, but the North Byron Parklands are a crucial step forward in the cultural and economic development of New South Wales.

I appreciate the opportunity to write a few words in support of the application by North Byron Parklands for permanent occupancy.
The site brings great cultural and economic benefits to the local region. It does this in a highly efficient way that allows full participation by presenters and guests in an ever broadening range of cultural activities, while maintaining very high environmental and ethical standards in all facets of event management. The beautiful environment particularly remains a primary drawcard for presenters and visitors, and I have seen that well managed environmental impact is a top consideration for the North Byron Parklands. It is a fabulous safe venue which I and my friends and family of all ages have attended and enjoyed many times and will hopefully do so into the future.