My Account
By George Driver
Thousands of people could be heading to Tomarata for music festivals and other events if a resource consent application is approved.
Tomarata resident Arnim Pierau is proposing to hold up to 34 events a year at his 32-hectare property, which borders Slipper Lake and Lake Spectacle on Ocean View Road.
Combined, the consent would allow for up to 86 days of events a year, with up to 22,300 people, including crew. This would include three four-day festivals a year for up to 3000 ticket holders and 300 crew, and six four-day events for 500 ticket holders and 300 crew.
The proposal would also permit 20 corporate events and 15 weddings with a maximum of 400 guests.
The consent application was assessed as notified and Auckland Council received 37 submissions by the May 27 cutoff date.
In total, 30 submissions opposed granting the consent, three were in favour, three wanted greater restrictions on the number and nature of events, and one wanted the consent to be for a fixed term.
Noise was the biggest concern, with 26 of the submissions stating the noise would have a significant impact on them, while 23 submissions raised concerns about the level of traffic on the unsealed road, and 19 said the events would be out of scale with the rural environment.
In a review of the consent by Council specialists, senior environmental health officer Brett Taylor recommended the music festivals be limited to two full days of music and a sound check to monitor noise levels. Auckland Transport’s review said traffic effects would be “less than minor”.
Mr Pierau has held about four events at his property over the past couple of years with about 1000 people attending each. But, he says the cost of getting a consent for each festival is prohibitive and a larger consent is the only way to make it viable long term.
“Regardless of whether you do one event or 10 it’s going to cost $50,000 a year to get the event licences, traffic reports and other consents,” Mr Pierau says.
Previous festivals held on the property have caused tensions in the small community, with nearby residents complaining of endless thumping of bass-heavy dance music.
Mr Pierau says the festivals will only be a for a few days of year and music will only run for a maximum of two days at each festival.
“Some people will be affected, but it’s only a very few and for a short amount of time. If you are not into that, it is going to be an annoyance, but so is a neighbour having a party, or a barking dog. There has to be some compromise and tolerance.”
The consent application, prepared by O’Connor Planning Consultants, says the two concert stages will be directed away from neighbouring houses and towards a pine plantation – the nearest house would be 800m away from the stage. The site would also be screened by trees.
There is currently a sandmine on the land and it is also used for grazing. There are also six chalets which are rented as holiday accommodation and an approved consent for a further seven chalets.
The application says the events will have a smaller environmental impact than the sandmine, which runs six days a week, creating noise, dust and heavy vehicle traffic. The sandmine would not operate during the events.
A consent hearing will be held on June 28 and 30 in the Council Chambers at the Orewa Service Centre.
