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Luna
Park screaming, and council can do nothing to stop
it, by Tim Dick - 11th May 2004
(Credit:
The Sydney Morning Herald)
It has been open in its new incarnation
for barely a month, but already Luna Park has
annoyed the neighbours.
North
Sydney Council has received 112 complaints about
the park's mechanical noise, screaming patrons
and PA systems being used to encourage "ride
users to scream louder".
A
council report said most complaints were about
the Ranger, Spider and Tango Train rides and came
from 65 residents in Milsons Point, Lavender Bay
and McMahons Point.
The
complaints were described as mostly "entirely
reasonable" but the council was unable to
"regulate the noise from a person's voice
whether screaming or otherwise".
Michael
Hesse, chairman of the executive of Glen Street's
Colonnades apartment building, said last night:
"We cannot during the operation of the rides
go outside on our balconies. It's just unbearable.
We're perfectly happy with Luna Park to be there
but these rides . . . weren't there originally."
The
report forecast more complaints once the Wild
Mouse roller-coaster, expected to be the park's
noisiest ride, began to operate later this month.
The
report said residents believed Luna Park management
appeared to expect the rides to be shut down through
some form of enforcement action, which led to
conclusions that perhaps management would rather
concentrate on more profitable areas of the park,
such as restaurants, licensed premises, functions
and events.
Luna
Park's managing director, Peter Hearne, rejected
that conclusion as bizarre and said it had wanted
the amusement park to be open all along.
"I'm
not aware of people being encouraged to scream
louder and I'd be very disappointed if that was
happening," he said.
He
said the report itself concluded there was no
breach of the park's development consents.
Last
night's council meeting resolved to "pursue
a consultative approach [with Luna Park] with
formal regulatory action used only as a last result".
The
Mayor of North Sydney, Genia McCaffery, said management
had a responsibility to run the park appropriately.
The location of the Ranger ride was always going
to cause problems, she said.
Links:
Official
websites
Luna
Park, Sydney
Luna
Park, Melbourne
North
Sydney Council
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