Luna Park screaming, and council can do nothing about it


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.

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