Splendour organisers forced to pay schools $100k over traffic dramas
The organisers of Splendour in the Grass have been fined $100,000 for failing to comply with its traffic management plan at this year’s event.
The festival returned to North Byron Parklands this year, with its capacity increased by 15,000 patrons after a pandemic-induced hiatus.
Campers were lined up for more than 15 hours to enter the grounds and set up camp amid wet conditions.
The dramas caused substantial delays to local traffic, including for school children travelling home from school on July 21.
The NSW Department of Planning and Environment said the festival’s parent company, Billinudgel Property will be forced to pay a $100,000 fine to contribute to “improvements to nearby schools through enforceable undertaking”.
The payment will be evenly split between 10 primary and secondary schools that are within a 10-kilometre radius of the venue.
“We place strict conditions on events such as Splendour in the Grass for a reason, and organisers need to abide by them,” a department spokesperson said.
Image: Matt Jelonek/Getty Images
