Fat As Butter Confident Of Community Support Despite Resident Complaint

The promoters of Newcastle's Fat As Butter festival are confident that the small Stockton community will welcome their plans for a camping area despite a local resident claiming that the festival will introduce alcohol issues into the town.

The annual New South Wales event is hoping to have space for 750 two-person camping spots for the event, a total capacity of 1,500, but ahead of a public forum tonight local resident Alan McMaster told the ABC that the town can't handle the anti-social behaviour he claims the event will attract.

“We've seen what's happened with alcohol over in the centre of Newcastle and I'm extremely worried that some of those issues are going to be transported over to Stockton, which basically of an evening there's no police in the town we're a very isolated community,” he said.

Today Brent Lean of promoters Mothership Music told theMusic.com.au that the process to develop camping at the festival had been going on for three years and had been done with full consultation of the stakeholders, including council, emergency services and police. Part of that consultation involves the festival having sufficient on-site security and covering the cost for an increased police presence during the event.

Earlier this year those stakeholders agreed in principle and as such the application has been up for public consultation for six weeks. Tonight the promoters, who have been in dialogue with residents and business owners, will make a presentation to council and community leaders about the plans at a forum at Stockton Surf Club. A second forum will be held next Thursday at the Fort Scratchley Function Centre.

Lean said that they had received “enormous support” from the businesses they'd approached given that Newcastle Council estimates the festival is worth between $125,000 and $145,000 to the small coastal town over the weekend.

“We do this [forum] to give a full picture, rather than people guessing what it will be,” he said. “We're thrilled with the response we've got from business and we're confident in everything we do… We've never had any issues and we don't expect any.”

Stockton resident McMaster added, “On [the proposal] it's got written, 'This year camping for up to 1,500 people will be available from the 18th to the 20th of October at the Ballast Grounds on Stockton Foreshore. That sounds like the decision has already been made without proper community consultation, in my opinion.”

The Fat As Butter festival has a maximum capacity of 25,000. It will likely take place in September.