Splendour's return hopeful

Anxious wait: Splendour in the Grass organisers say it is unlikely the music festival will return to the Byron Shire next year, even if the NSW Government approves its plans for the North Byron Parklands site at Yelgun.

Photos

Live on stage at Splendour in the Grass 2010

View Photo Gallery »

Poll

Should Splendour come home to Byron?

This poll ended on 30 October 2010.

Yes

74%

No

21%

Undecided

4%

This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

THE manager of North Byron Parklands is hopeful of returning Splendour in the Grass to the Byron shire – but says the festival is unlikely to take place there in 2011.

Mat Morris addressed a meeting in Byron Bay yesterday ‘as part of our continuing community consultation, to bring people up to speed with the State Government approval process’.

The North Byron Parklands development, on 255 hectares, at Yelgun, has been declared a major project, which means it is up to the Minister of Planning, Tony Kelly, to give approval, and not the Byron Shire Council.

Mr Morris said he was hopeful of getting the green light by December.

“Then we’ll do our very best to bring Splendour back to Byron,” he said.

Mr Morris was ‘100 per cent committed to seeing the festival return to its birthplace, but given the time restraints he thought a 2011 show was not feasible.

The approval the group is seeking is a blanket one covering all the events they want to stage.

“We are asking for 12 major event days a year, which means a maximum of three major events a year – though it could take years to build up to that level,” Mr Morris said.

Also at the meeting yesterday were representatives from Tweed Tourism, the Byron Visitor Centre and the Lennox Head Chamber of Commerce.

“We have had overwhelming support from the community to go ahead with this approval process,” Mr Morris said.

Plans for the development are on public exhibition until November 18.

Read more:

Rally to bring Splendour home

Byron's missing Splendour

Splendour fans head to Woodford