The Greens have joined a chorus of local opposition to the Department of Planning’s recommendation that Splendour in the Grass be allowed to conduct three festivals a year at its North Byron Parklands site. The recommendation comes despite a Land and Environment Court ruling two years ago that even a temporary festival there was not appropriate.
Greens MP and environment spokesperson Cate Faehrmann says the recommendation is ‘a blow to the work of conservationists who have been working to protect this very fragile area for years’.
She says the decision threatens the future of the Marshalls Ridge wildlife corridor that links the World Heritage area of the Mt Warning caldera to the Billinudgel Nature Reserve that is adjacent to the site, as well as other coastal reserves such as the Wooyung, Marshalls Creek and Brunswick Heads nature reserves.
‘Splendour in the Grass is a great festival. But it should continue in a less environmentally sensitive area. The impact of thousands of festivalgoers and associated infrastructure, traffic and rubbish, and booming noise will be unacceptable,’ said Ms Faehrmann.
‘With bump-in times for around three major events, and potential for an unlimited number of smaller festivals, this site will be a dangerous place for the threatened species who call the area home for a significant part of the year.
‘It will be a serious blow to the threatened species such as the koala and long-nosed potoroo that depend on this well-connected protected area network. Conservationists have fought hard for the integrity of this network over many decades,’ said Ms Faehrmann.
