PRINCES PARK TO BE TRASHED FOR “THE BIG DAY OUT” AND THE GAMES
Resident,
community-action and parks groups have expressed alarm over the decision
of Melbourne Council's Planning and Environment Committee made last night
to sacrifice Princes Park for a commercial money making event. It appears that the public will be locked
out of the Park for at least three months from mid January to mid April not
only for “The Big Day Out” – a mega, commercial, multi-concert party catering
for 46,000 patrons – but also for the Commonwealth Games when the Park will be
converted to a super-size car park.
Doubts have been expressed as to whether this historic Park, which has
lasted unscathed for almost two hundred years since being established by
Governor Latrobe, will survive.
Julianne Bell, Secretary of
Protectors of Public Lands Victoria Inc., one of the three groups, which spoke
up at the meeting, comments:
“Our Melbourne parks are progressively being alienated, built over for inappropriate development and damaged by inappropriate uses. Last night this process was continued when Melbourne Councillors, at a meeting chaired by the “green” Fraser Brindley, voted unanimously to allow “The Big Day Out” to proceed, subject to issue of a planning permit”.
“Princes Park is a much loved, well used park. Council surveys have indicated that 80% of people who come to the park do so for passive recreation. Yet an organiser of the BDO has been quoted in the media as saying: ‘The interests of an army of music fans outweigh the interests of residents…who are resisting this idea… in some ways it would be pretty bad form (for them) to object…’ PPL VIC says that we consider it very ‘bad form’ to trash a public park used for generations by Melburnians just to make money. The organisers stand to make mega bucks from entrance charges plus liquor sales so no wonder they do not want anyone to object”.
“We consider it rank hypocrisy that Council can cut off funding to the famous and fabulous free Lygon Street Festa yet bend over backwards to accommodate a private profit making event staged in one of our public parks”.
Protectors of
Public Lands Victoria will consider lodging an objection to issue of a planning
permit for the location of The Big Day Out in Princes Park when Council gives
notice.
Contact:
Julianne Bell Secretary PPL VIC 98184114 or 0408022408 Email
jbell5@bigpond.com