District III mayor eyes control of Sziget venue

Budapest District III (Óbuda) mayor Balázs Bús has applied for the section of Hajógyári (Shipxyard) Island owned by the City to be transferred to the district, he told a press conference last week. A little more than half of the island, the venue for the annual Sziget festival, is owned by the state, while the rest (43%) is controlled by the City.

Bús said the District III government was campaigning because it believes the city neglects the area. He pointed out that the district had contacted the Budapest government about the island's problems, but no solution had been offered. One of the problems is that illegal street races are held on the island on weekends, and the City cannot or does not want to do anything to stop them. Bús added that the police have limited resources to deal with the problem.

Óbuda's mayor said that if more of the island was owned by the district, its green area would be larger, allowing more development aid to be assigned to the district. These extra resources would be spent on the island.

He also said that in the future, within the framework of the "Dream Island" investment planned for the southern part of the island, nearly Ft 400 million (roughly €1.5 million) would be spent on managing the green areas of the island.

Turning to the effect the changes might have on the Sziget Festival, Bús said: "We don't think that the Sziget Festival should be canceled or changed." However, he added that they would like to reach better agreements with organizers of the festival to protect the interests of local residents.

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