Local councils complaining about music festivals and attempting to impose restrictions on organisers or venues is nothing new. Sadly, it seems as though we’re forced to write a story like this every few months, which is a depressing commentary on the state of our cultural life.
However, it’s rare that we see a council attempting to clampdown on a festival site that’s not even in their jurisdiction.
But that’s precisely what Melbourne’s Moonee Valley Council are looking to do, citing dissatisfaction with the number of events at the nearby Flemington Racecourse and the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds.
In the past, the two venues have played host to the likes of Stereosonic, Soundwave, Future Music Festival, and Good Life. As The Age reports, just under 4 million people have attended 215 events hosted at the precinct, famous for hosting the Melbourne Cup Carnival and the Royal Melbourne Show, since 2013.
However, local residents are saying they suffer from “music festival fatigue” in the summer and according to Moonee Valley Council, they want festivals and events to reduce noise levels, wrap up by 10pm, and run less frequently in the summer, when most events are scheduled.
Residents have also complained about antisocial behaviour from punters attending events at the precinct, as well as a lack of adequate public transport and parking. Last week, members of the council, including deputy mayor Cam Nation, met with the precinct’s organisers.
“While the events precinct is located just outside our municipality, in the City of Melbourne, it does border many hundreds of our residents and we want to ensure their interests are looked after,” Cr Nation said in a statement.
“While we welcome the vibrancy and economic benefits of events… they do have an impact on our local residents, especially if they are poorly organised, excessively noisy or run over time, which has happened on a number of occasions.”
However, Music Victoria chief Patrick Donovan said the showgrounds are one of few purpose-built festival sites in Melbourne, following an investment of more than $100 million by the state government to redevelop the site in 2006, and residents should have been aware of this before they moved.
[include_post id=”433257″]
“While the festival promoters need to abide by laws and restrictions, cultural events have taken place at the site for many decades, and any residents who moved to the area should have factored this in before they moved,” Mr Donovan told Fairfax.
Last week’s meeting was attended by representatives from the state government, transport authorities, Victoria Racing Club, and the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds. In a document presented to those gathered, Moonee Valley Council said music events should be spread throughout the year.
While it’s understandable residents living near Flemington Racecourse and the Showgrounds might experience elevated noise levels during the summer, it’s easy to see why organisers plan events for the summer, when they’re less likely to experience bad weather and can take advantage of punters on school leave or holiday break.
The council also said they want noise restrictions enforced and said that if an event ran late, it should be banned from future use of the venues. However, Moonee Valley Council’s mayor Narelle Sharpe said the meeting did not result in any immediate solutions to the issues raised but instead highlighted “ongoing issues”.
