The City of Ballarat will use two different locations within the North Gardens for concerts this January in an attempt to avoid a repeat of the destruction of the ground which occurred in 2010.
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The site in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens will be used for three major concerts in January, starting with Australian alternative rock royalty Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds on January 15.
The Red Hot Summer Tour featuring John Farnham, James Reyne and Daryl Braithwaite will take to the gardens on January 28, while The Cat Empire and Xavier Rudd will follow on January 29.
City of Ballarat director of development and planning Angelique Lush said the first concert would be held on the north side of the gardens, while the following two events would be held on the south side to minimise possible damage.
“If weather is wet or the ground is soft, crews will use track matting to eliminate the potential for ground damage during the bump in/out as well as during the actual concerts,” Ms Lush said.
The added precautions come after Powderfinger’s farewell concert in 2010, where a 10,000-strong crowd reduced the reserve to mud following a heavy downpour of rain.
Then-City of Ballarat chief executive Anthony Schink said at the time council would explore alternative spaces “where we can conduct large events without having to have a detrimental impact on large open spaces”.
Concert organisers will be required to assist financially with ground restoration in the event of damage.
Ms Lush said promoters were required to organise alternative venues if council determined the gardens were not suitable for use prior to the concerts.
However Ms Lush declined to say what the alternative venues may be.
“Our requirements include the extensive use of track matting and assistance to restore the land to pre-event condition should that be required,” Ms Lush said.
While concerts have been held in the North Gardens since 2010, the 2017 roster be the most intense us of the space since the Powderfinger farewell.
Friends of the Ballarat Botanical Gardens president Raoul Dixon said provided the space was used appropriately, concerts should continue in the North Gardens.
“There’s no reason to oppose it being used as long as they use it with care and discretion.”
