Laneway festival could be forced to search for new Melbourne home in 2019

St Jerome’s Laneway Festival may be looking for a new Melbourne venue for next year, leaving the banks of the Maribyrnong River in Footscray where the festival has taken place since 2010.

AsFairfaxreports, pressure from multi-story apartment projects as well as the construction of the West Gate Tunnel toll road could force Laneway to look elsewhere for a 2019 home.

It appears festival organiserscould be hatching plans to relocate Laneway further north, with pressure ramping up from the explosion of apartments in teh area andthe construction of nearby truck ramps as part of a $6.7 billionWest Gate Tunnel project.

Laneway could be moved upstream to Footscray Park, opposite Flemington Racecourse.

“The surrounding development places the festival under increasing pressure to ensure impacts on residents and businesses are minimised and a world-class festival for attendees is delivered,” says a council report.

“Relocation would address impacts from the West Gate Tunnel project on the existing site.”

According to triple j, the festival now offers $100,000 worth of free tickets to around 700 residents to keep them happy, with a large number of apartment blocks shooting up since 2010.

Organisers are yet to make an official comment.