Centennial Vineyards in Bowral seeks rezoning to attract tourists, concerts

Coveted event destination Centennial Vineyards is seeking to rezone a large portion of its land to create more tourism opportunities.

Popular Southern Highlands destination Centennial Vineyards has put forth a proposal to rezone some of its lands in order to bring more tourists to the region.

The 127-hectare site is currently zoned E3 Environmental Management, which means Centennial is limited in the applications of the land due to environmental considerations. Centennial is asking for a portion of the land to be rezoned to SP3 Tourist zone, which would provide more freedom for action.

The applicant said the new zone would better reflect its use as a long-established winery, restaurant, and cellar door with consistent visitors. The development application states an SP3 would create long-term stability for the vineyard in terms of tourism activities, and could potentially facilitate new opportunities.

Although no plans are currently before Wingecarribee Shire Council, the DA outlines the potential for new accommodation, functions, and the continuation of outdoor concerts if the rezoning is approved.

Centennial Vineyards is a highly sought-after wedding and event destination. Picture: Facebook

Wingecarribee Shire councillors unanimously supported rezoning a portion of Centennial Vineyards on July 22 last year. The councillors specified areas of environmental value should remain zoned E3 and agreed any future development of the rezoned land should provide a Concept Master Plan, in keeping with the Rural Tourism Policy.

The development application is being publicly exhibited until June 25. The exhibition follows on from the Local Planning Panel decision to refuse to increase the vineyard’s concert capacity.

Centennial had been seeking council approval to increase its capacity to bring in bigger and better music acts. The application requested permission to host another 4000 guests at the Bowral vineyard in order to attract international musicians.

Owner of Centennial, John Large, said the increased capacity would position the Southern Highlands as a premier music and wine destination in NSW, allowing it to rival the Hunter Valley in tourism.

In a recent poll by The Bowral News, 29 out of 30 local residents surveyed about the proposed increase said they believed the concerts would benefit the Southern Highlands community as a whole.

Centennial Vineyards owner John Large said he would like the Southern Highlands to be the best wine destination in NSW. Picture: Facebook

The Local Planning Panel heard supportive statements from the President of the Food and Wine Association Jean-Marie Simart, Centennial employee Natalie Dare, and planning expert Scott Lee, who all advocated for the community benefit.

A major issue raised by both council staff and the panel was the impact on the Bowral centre and the lack of parking provided for concertgoers. Mr Lee refuted there was a lack of parking, stating there was adequate parking for approximately 7000 people with buses available to cater to the remaining visitors.

He said there was some “hypocrisy” from the council, and pointed to Tulip Time as a community event attracting hordes of visitors to the Bowral CBD without a parking plan.

However, the panel ultimately decided the proposed increase from the original 8000 people to 14,000 represented too great a change from the initial development approval. They determined the increase would be detrimental to the neighbourhood in terms of traffic and parking.

Centennial has hosted concerts since 2006 in collaboration with A Day on The Green, who organise concerts at wineries around Australia. Event Manager Eugene Brouwer has been involved in many of the Centennial concerts and said its imperative to increase the number of guests.

Centennial Vineyards is the largest winery in the Southern Highlands. Picture: Facebook

“At the moment our capacity is 10,000 and obviously we’re vying for 14,000,” he said.

“It just allows us to get larger acts and bigger artists and put good shows on.”

Increasing the capacity of Centennial Vineyards by 4000 people would place the winery in the “upper echelon of outdoor concert venues”, according to the DA. It would allow the venue to be more flexible in response to potential performers.

Mr Large said the increased capacity would have positioned the winery as a destination for international superstars like Celine Dion and Bruce Springsteen.

“If you get 14,000 guests, you can bring in really top class, exceptional acts,” he said.

In the wake of the past year of continued blows to businesses, the increased guest capability would generate much-needed tourism and economic opportunities for the region.

It is estimated 50 per cent of concert attendees would book accommodation, and that all would spend time and money in various ways in the region, whether on taxis, food, drinks, or souvenirs.

Centennial Vineyards owner John Large said increasing the capacity of the concerts would attract international stars like Celine Dion. Picture: Alice Chiche / AFP

The DA stated the heightened profile of the region achieved by the concerts was “priceless” in its creation of return visitors and opportunity to showcase the Southern Highlands. However, Mr Large estimated the revenue that would have been generated (exclusive of money spent at Centennial) at “millions and millions and millions”.

Currently, Centennial has council approval to host four concerts a year but it is prohibited from holding concerts on consecutive weekends or in the same month. The vineyard stresses this arrangement is impractical for attracting headlining musical acts with inflexible touring schedules.

“A one month hiatus between concerts would severely jeopardise Centennial’s ability to capture prime acts during the concert season,” reads the DA.

As the season is the short four to six months over summer, the application states Centennial and A Day on the Green need to be adaptable to the schedules of artists in the hopes of attracting international talent.