The streets of Leura will be closed next month for Leura Village Fair using water-filled barriers. The following month, Blackheath’s Rhododendron Festival will use post-and-rail barriers with trucks as back-up.
The difference is in the geography.
Council recognises that each Mountains festival is different. A spokeswoman said: “Every on-road event has a unique setting and therefore the traffic management and security arrangements may be different for each event.”
Piercarlo Cuneo, from the Leura Village Association, said he had met with council representatives and police over the issue of risk management assessment.
“Every village has different layouts. What they can do in Blackheath is different from us because they have more space,” he said.
Mr Cuneo said council had also discussed moving their festivals to non-road areas, “but in Leura there’s not much space”.
The carpark is too small and would also create the problems of where visitors would park, he said.
“If we want the festivals for the time being we have to pay.” He was hoping to attract major sponsors to help out – ones “with deep pockets”.
The council spokeswoman it was up to the individual organisers of events to determine how to meet the traffic management and security arrangements required by NSW Police.
“For such events, a traffic management plan is required to be submitted to council as part of an event application. The traffic management plans are referred to NSW Police for comment.
“Every on-road event has a unique setting and therefore the traffic management and security arrangements may be different for each event.”
