There will be many in the community who can relate to the disappointment of Tommy Griffiths and Michael Furner, who believed they had taken all necessary steps to ensure the success of their “underground” music festival.

That was until Bathurst Regional Council decided they must lodge a development application for each of the sites earmarked for their concerts – despite them all being on private property with the permission of property owners and approval from local police.

Unfortunately, though, this is the world we have created and the one we must live in.

No-one doubts that council has acted within the letter of the law, even if some would argue it has not acted within the spirit of the law.

But the spirit of the law holds little value in a world where people are quick to blame and even quicker to legislate.

The DA process in this case is designed to protect both the organisers and the council, neither of whom could guarantee that every festival participant would gladly accept responsibility for their own actions and safety.

Sadly, if due process was ignored, it would take just one act of stupidity and one strongly worded legal letter to expose both the organisers and council to crippling debt.

That’s not how it should be when two men just want to bring a new event to our town, but that’s how it is. And council can’t be blamed for that.

What should happen from here, though, is that council should reach out to Mr Griffiths and Mr Furner to offer real solutions to these issues.

By working together, the dream of Vagrants could still be realised – to the benefit of all concerned.