Petition seeks council refusal for festival

A petition calling on Baw Baw Shire to put a stop to a four day music festival at Lardner Park has been presented to council.

More than 140 people signed the petition tabled last week by Cr Tricia Jones.

Cr Jones also called on officers to report back to council on issues raised in the petition so that council could consider the matter before the festival. She asked for the report to be presented at council’s December meeting.

Cr Joe Gauci said he hoped a report would clarify some of the issues raised by petitioners.

He said he hoped the report would present all the facts because at the moment there was a lot of different opinions.

Cr Murray Cook said until council received more information, councillors were not in a position to comment.

“I think we should leave the debate until we get the full story,” he said.

Council is currently assessing a building application for a Place of Public Entertainment (POPE) submitted by the festival company.

The petitioners called on council not to approve the POPE for the Beyond the Valley festival, to run at Lardner Park from December 29 to January 1.

They said they understood Lardner Park Events already had planning permission for events at the venue, which meant neighbouring residents were not consulted about the impact on their amenity or the appropriateness of the event in a populated area.

The petitioners said they had been told by organisers and council that music would play from 11am to 1am (14 hours) on December 29 and from 11am to 4am (17 hours) on December 30 and 31.

The petitioners said they had been advised the staging would be in a natural amphitheatre setting.

“Noise will project and carry as it rises; more so in the still of evening/night hours,” they said.

Petitioners also raised concerns about traffic, noise and the use of community resources police, ambulance and the hospital, being further burdened over this new year period.

“It seems that the amenity of the attendees of the event is the priority of council.

“It is obvious to the undersigned that the amenity of the rate and rent paying residents in the area is not a priority of this council,” the petition stated.