Vaucluse loses its polo event as residents complain about noise

5 days ago 7

A plan to stage an equestrian polo event at a clifftop park in Vaucluse has been reined in by a Sydney council amid fears over the sound of galloping horses, impacts on surrounding home owners and the prospect of hooves tearing up the turf.

Woollahra Council has knocked back a proposal for Christison Park in Vaucluse to be used for a Polo in the City event, which would have seen crowds up to 1500 flock to the site for an afternoon of horseback sporting revelry.

Up to 1500 people had been expected to attend the November event.

The planned event was the brainchild of lawyer, polo player and entrepreneur Janek Gazecki, who applied to the council to use the park for a November event that would have included setting up corporate and VIP marquee areas.

But an assessment by Woollahra Council ruled the park was an “unacceptable” location to stage the event due to concerns over horses causing damage to turf and cricket facilities as well as impacts on other community users – including sporting clubs – that use the park.

Almost 500 ticket holders had paid up to $662 to watch the event, which has now been cancelled.

The refusal is not the first time Gazecki has fallen foul of planning authorities. He previously made headlines when his proposal to stage a pop-up restaurant known as “Amalfi Beach Club” on the sands of Bondi Beach sparked fury among Bondi residents and was rejected by Waverley Council.

Janek Gazecki says organisers have been forced to cancel Polo in the City in Vaucluse.

Gazecki said final preparations for the Vaucluse equestrian event were being arranged when the news of the council’s refusal was delivered last week.

“It’s not like we wanted to hold the Birdsville Races or Melbourne Cup in Vaucluse,” he said. “Our events are boutique and it would have been a great way for the community to come together.

“I think there’s been a misconception that horses are this massive animal that can rip up fields and cause damage, but in reality, the horses we use are actually quite dainty.

“In my experience, rugby games cause more damage than horses.

Potential turf damage to the park was among the council’s reasons for rejecting the polo proposal.

“This is just another example of how hard it’s becoming to stage events in Sydney - the industry is in dire straits and there’s no shortage of events that are dropping like flies.”

A Woollahra Council spokesman said planning staff were “entitled to refuse” events that pose unacceptable risks, conflict with established community use, or threaten the integrity of public facilities.

“This proposal was assessed against those criteria and did not meet the threshold for approval,” the council spokesman said.

The plans had also ruffled feathers among some residents living within earshot of the park who raised concerns with the council over the event.

Gazecki, however, insisted the event would not have been as impactful as some may have feared.

“It’s typical, there’s always people who oppose everything, but the irony is a lot of those people in Vaucluse would fit the crowd that polo attracts and probably would have enjoyed watching it,” he said.

“Part of our plan was to fix up the state of the playing fields at the park before the event because, at the moment, the surface is absolutely atrocious with all the rain Sydney has had.”

Gazecki said the ticketing company would provide refunds.

The plan to use Christison Park came after Gazecki lost a tender to stage Polo in the City at Centennial Park in November.

Janek Gazecki promotes polo as a more effective networking environment than horse racing.

The awarding of the tender is currently subject to an active Federal Court case launched by Gazecki, who claims the winning tenderer had allegedly engaged in “misleading conduct” and “trademark infringement”.

Plans for the Vaucluse event proposed holding two games at the park during the November 8 event, with 20 horses involved per game.

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