The long term future of Luna Park is in doubt. This iconic fun park opened in 1935 on the harbour foreshore at north Sydney and provided rides that drew vast crowds of both locals and visitors to the city. Noise was not an issue at that time because few people lived in the surrounding area.
When the harbour bridge opened in 1932 Sydney's north shore gained new appeal and over the following decades harbour views have deeply influenced the price of housing. In particular, apartment living has seen high rise crowd all vantage points and Luna Park is now overlooked by a new and vibrant north Sydney. The residents are quick to protest noise issues whenever Luna Park plans to introduce new rides.
This form of entertainment lives or dies on being relevant. The public expect new thrills and to meet that challenge Luna Park wants to install a new feature which will be called the " Flying Carousel ". The Land and Environment court has just ruled that this must follow the development application process every time Luna Park moves or replaces a ride. That will open proceedings to objections from neighbours concerned about the noise aspect.
Luna Park is spending twenty million dollars upgrading its attractions and it presently draws crowds of over a million each year. If new rides are refused during this application process the amusement park may become unprofitable and be forced to close. This opens an argument that is very relevant to many existing forms of business in this city.
Luna Park existed in its present form before those residents chose to live adjacent to an amusement park - and the noise was an issue they accepted when they made that decision. It seems grossly unfair to now cite noise as a reason to refuse normal ride upgrades which may drive a city asset to oblivion.
Luna Park has trimmed its operating hours and closes earlier to accommodate these noise issues and perhaps the ball in now back in the court of those neighbouring residents. Double glazing their windows and installing insulation would go a long way to achieve the quietness they crave and the fact that Luna Park existed was a condition that affected the price of their unit when they made their buying decision.
This is a growing phenomenon in all parts of the city. Because an industry is dirty or noisy or employs too many people who need to park their cars we are seeing surrounding residents demanding that the company close and move elsewhere. In many cases, the price of surrounding land was artificially lowered to compensate for the presence of such an unappealing industry.
To add insult to injury, if Luna Park did close those same residents would demand a say in what use if the site found a new owner. There would be pressure for it to remain open space parkland and resistance to more high rise - which would block their harbour views.
Luna Park is an icon this city needs. The sound of people enjoying themselves should not be a reasonable ground for refusal !
No comments:
Post a Comment