Laneway Festival Secures Expanded Sydney Capacity

The Mayor of Sydney's inner-west Leichhardt Council is today proclaiming a victory for music lovers today after council approved a plan to expand the capacity of the Laneway Festival's Sydney leg.

Held at the Sydney College Of The Arts at Callan Park, the festival will expand its capacity from 8,000 to 12,000 in 2014 after council voted in favour of their application, despite strong lobbying from conservation group Friends Of Callan Park, which is spearheaded by top Greens representative Hall Greenland.

Today Leichhardt's Mayor Darcy Byrne claimed that after a five-all tied vote his casting vote was used to reject an amendment to restrict the capacity of the event to 8,000. The amendment came from Michele McKenzie, a Greens Councillor and Friends of Callan Park member.

“In the battle between Laneway and the fun police, Sydney's best emerging music festival has prevailed,” Mayor Byrne said.

Laneway Promoter Danny Rogers told theMusic.com.au today, “It's a relief to get the DA approved. We had undertaken extensive consolation with the NSW Police and an independent risk assessment manager so we had confidence that we held a strong position.

“What was humbling though was to see local residents express their support for Laneway and most councillors appreciate the positive contribution that Laneway has on the area.”

Mayor Byrne said that “dozens” of music supporters “waited for hours to speak in support of the festival, proving once again that Sydney-siders will fight for their right to party.”

He said, “For Laneway to have been curtailed, against all independent planning advice would have been another body blow for Sydney's live music scene.”

Today Greenland told theMusic that he felt the council's dicision was "partly" disappointing.

“We still believe the numbers are excessive – as did half the councillors,” he said. “But thanks largely to the efforts of the Friends everyone is conscious of the significance of this heritage site and that will help alleviate any risks. It would have been better if the noise monitoring was undertaken by Council too.

“Let's hope [the festival] goes well – and incidentally is not too overcrowded for people going for the music. Seriously, if the festival continues to grow in popularity – which would be a bloody healthy development – another more suitable site will have to be found eventually. That's what has happened in other cities.”

It is understood that four of the Leichhardt councillors, including the Greens' other representatives Rochelle Porteous and Craig Channells and Liberal councillor Vera-Ann Hannaford, are members of Friends Of Callan Park. Although the meeting's minutes are not yet available, the Mayor's office have indicated that all four of the Friends Of Callan Park members voted to reduce capacity.

The connection between Greenland as the head of the Friends Of Callan Park and his high standing in the New South Wales Greens party has been widely made in the media, which has questioned the Greens' commitment to live music.

“That tag is a political ploy by a Labor wannabee Member of Parliament,” Greenland told theMusic today. “No intelligent person would accept that portrayal for more than a nano-second.

“It was Greens-led Leichhardt Council which gave the original green light to the festival and local Greens MP Jamie Parker is a strong supporter – at 12,000. I opposed the expansion – not the festival – in my capacity as a member of Friends Of Callan Park.”

In a statement last week Greenland wrote, “The proposal for this year's event is too big, too loud (it's held on a Sunday night) and seeks an approval for five years which would rob the community of reasonable safeguards.”

Rogers said today, “We're committed to delivering a fantastic show, an event that is 120 percent punter focussed and we can now focus on this.”

The Twitter Reaction

@TheMusicComAu Haha. But @HallGreenland has run in more elections than I have had hot dinners, including two in the last 12 months...

— Darcy Byrne (@MayorDarcy) December 4, 2013

@TheMusicComAu @lanewayfest What i said was proposal for this year too big, too loud & seeks a 5 year approval & half plus of Council agreed

— Hall Greenland (@HallGreenland) December 4, 2013