Greens Boss Accused Of Halting Laneway Festival’s Sydney Expansion

The Mayor of Leichhardt in Sydney's inner west has accused the Greens party of attempting to stop the expansion of the Laneway Festival's Sydney leg.

The festival is hoping to build from a capacity of 8,000 to 12,500 at the Sydney College Of The Arts on Callan Park, but Mayor Darcy Byrne said influential group Friends Of Callan Park have “heavily lobbied” the council to deny the expansion. The application to expand the capacity is supported by police, acoustic experts and Council Officers and will be decided upon at a council meeting next week.

Friends Of Callan Park's spokesperson and figurehead Hall Greenland is the current Convenor of the NSW Greens Party, the highest organisational post in the party. A senior and influential member, Hall ran in the seat of Grayndler in the recent Federal election.

“I am astounded that the leader of the Greens Party in NSW is trying to have 4000 music lovers turned away from Sydney's best emerging festival,” Mayor Byrne said today.

There are three members of the Greens party on Leichhardt Council, Michele McKenzie, Rochelle Porteous and Craig Channells, all of whom are believed to have been – or are – members of Friends Of Callan Park. Liberal councillor Vera-Ann Hannaford is also understood to be a member of the group.

“The Laneway application is recommended for approval and supported by the police but the self-appointed fun police are trying to shut it down,” Byrne said.

Speaking to Fairfax Greenland said, “The key is the size of the event, it's growing and it's obviously very popular so good luck to the musicians and the promoters but there has to be a question as to whether Callan Park is a suitable venue for 12,500 people. There are other music venues around that are not considered heritage landscapes that are probably more suitable.”

Laneway's promoter Danny Rogers has expressed surprise at the “commotion” around the Sydney leg.

While Leichhardt's council's Green-bloc and the party cross-over of the Friends Of Callan Park membership presents a real possibility that the council could reject the proposal, Mayor Byrne expressed to theMusic.com.au today that he was confident that the application would be approved by the council.

“While many festivals are struggling and Sydney's live music industry faces real challenges, Laneway has been the best thing to happen to the Inner West live music scene in years,” he said today.

He said that he hoped a large number of music fans would be in the council meeting next Tuesday 3 December.

The festival takes place Sunday 2 February, with Lorde, Earl Sweatshirt, Cloud Control Parquet Courts, Vance Joy and The Jezabels among the artists performing.