CHRIS THOMSON
The emerging Perth waterfront project will force rock festivals from the green expanse of Esplanade Reserve into a residential area, under a plan being pedalled by council officials.
Within the 12.7 sqkm City of Perth, up to five music festivals a year are permitted on the Esplanade Reserve or the Supreme Court Gardens.
However, the much-hyped waterfront project set to start next year will alienate the reserve, and the Supreme Court Gardens’ capacity of 10,000 is too small for festivals.
To cope with demand from concert promoters, and to avert a Dullsville scenario, City of Perth bureaucrats have recommended the number of festivals allowed each year in Wellington Square be upped from two to six.
Wellington Square sits in Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi‘s home suburb of East Perth and is flanked by medium density housing.
In recent years the Parklife and Future Music festivals have added pizzazz to the trapezoidal park bounded by Wellington, Hill, Wittenoom and Bennett Streets.
The addition of four extra festivals would be subject to a survey to gauge the tolerance of nearby residents for noise.
Each event is expected to attract between 12,000 and 25,000 party people mainly aged between 18 and 30.
The council plan would see submissions called each year for promoters who wish to unleash their acts upon East Perth.
City officials consider Langley Park too close to high density apartment towers for a music festival to be held there. Festivals have also been banned on Heirisson Island.
So, pressure is mounting for a Wellington Square solution – with promoters already having lodged six requests to use the park for rockfests and concerts in 2011/12.
The planned events include an approved application from Parklife for September 27, and applications by the Future Music and 3000USB festivals.
Summadayze has made a tentative booking for January 3 or 8, and Mellen Events has pencilled in concerts for November, December and January.
In September 2010, Parklife attracted six noise complaints, and the year before just two.
In February 2009, Future Music earned the ire of 19 complainants.
Upping the number of Wellington Square festivals will be debated by the city planning committee on Tuesday night and then by Ms Scaffidi and the full city council on June 7.
The council recently slammed the planned height of the waterfront project.
Other disruptions emerging from the project include the rerouting of the annual Bridge Fun Run and moves to relocate the state heritage-listed building that houses the upmarket Grand Palace Chinese restaurant.
