A proposal to increase the cap on major events at Sydney’s Centennial Park has been rejected following strong opposition from local residents. The current limit of eight events per year will remain in place, despite the Australian Festival Association’s call to raise it to 12, as part of a regulatory review.
The proposal faced backlash from nearby residents, including Peter Tzannes, co-chair of the Centennial Park Residents’ Association, who argued that the park’s grass is damaged by large events and that the festivals bring noise, anti-social behaviour and traffic disruptions.
“The park and grass takes a battering during festival season and it can take months for the grass to grow back,” Tzannes said, also highlighting issues such as litter and drug-related incidents.
The decision also received opposition from Greater Sydney Parklands, the state agency overseeing the site. The agency warned that increasing events would negatively affect public access to the park and could attract “significant community criticism.”
Mitch Wilson, Managing Director of the Australian Festival Association, criticised the decision as contradictory, citing the recent lifting of event caps at Allianz Stadium. He also pointed to the high costs associated with hosting events at Centennial Park, such as hefty hiring fees and revenue-sharing with the Centennial Park Trust.
Wilson further argued that lifting the cap would help festivals share costs and improve feasibility, particularly for smaller events.
Source: The Daily Telegraph.
