A CONTROVERSIAL laneway party will be held in the newly revamped lane in Leederville, despite concerns from residents, traders and half the Vincent council.
Councillors were split down the middle: Four for, four agin, with mayor John Carey throwing his casting vote in favour of the February 21 shindig.
Organisers “Rough Love” say it’ll feature soulful house music “free from coarse language”.
They expect up to 500 people on the night but no more than 200 at any time.
Cr Ros Harley was suspicious of the “soulful” house music claim and said “I don’t support a private entertainment company getting our brand new laneway—that we’re still spending money on—free of charge and disrupting pedestrian flow”.
Andrew Parissis of the popular Siena’s restaurant next door is livid. He says Saturday is a big trading night and the noise will be unbearable for his customers.
“A couple of years ago the council approved a fashion parade for the same laneway that totally destroyed our night,” he wrote in a blistering letter of complaint.
“The music was so loud… we had customers walking out of our restaurant, and that was just a fashion parade with only ‘catwalk’ music.”
Mr Parissis says Siena’s pays taxes and rates and he and his family live in the city, yet the council seems more interested in helping a “promoter from nowhere”.
The laneway being blocked will mean people must walk the long way round to get to the carpark or intrude through private shops like Greens & Co.
Cr Laine McDonald says it’s a one-off event and deserves support: “I see this as a very good activation of the laneway space.”
Cr Josh Topelberg regards it as “deeply curious” the organisers claim in their risk assessment they’ll be catering to a crowd of “elderly, mobility impaired” people but he voted for it nevertheless. He says lively events like this “providing house music, soulful or otherwise” are “why we are urban and not suburban”.
Cr Emma Cole and the mayor agreed.
by DAVID BELL
Perth Voice Interactive 
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