At this year’s Splendour In The Grass held at Parklands, the Department of Planning and Environment (DP&E) attended the event to assess compliance with the trial approval. While the compliance report released last week shows that there were a lot of improvements in key areas, it also showed non-compliance with the current noise criteria. As a result, DP&E have fined Parklands $3,000 for this breach.
Parklands accepts this fine and has been working with DP&E for some months now to better manage this issue. The results of our extensive noise monitoring program at this event (there were over 100 attended noise samples in over eight suburbs) clearly show that the ‘bass’ component was the sound that some residents were hearing during the event, particularly on the Friday night when windy conditions prevailed.
Parklands currently has no set bass criteria in its conditions and as such we are voluntarily applying for such limits to be set through a change to the existing approval. By setting bass criteria, the venue can better manage and enforce noise levels, which will lead to a better outcome for our local community.
We also acknowledge that we need to improve in our management of the noise complaints hotline during peak festival times and steps have been taken to this effect.The other key change to the approval Parklands is seeking is the ability to host non-music-focused community events at Parklands. The venue has been overwhelmed by local educational institutions, sporting organisations and community groups seeking to hold their activities during those 320-plus days when the venue sits idle. We would welcome them.
We’re nearly halfway through our trial period and have learned a huge amount in that time. We still have more to do and we thank the wider community for its patience and ongoing support as we strive to make Parklands a venue our community can be proud of.
Mat Morris, GM, North Byron Parklands
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