Yes to festival Event can run despite fears for safety in area

PLANS for a popular three-day charity music festival near Churchdown have been given the go-ahead amid fears “gatecrashers will risk their lives walking across the M5” to get in. The Sunflowers Festival is planned for October 3 to 5.

- Carmelo GARCIA Local Democracy Reporter

Monkey Bar Events Ltd has been granted a premises licence by Tewkesbury Borough Council to use the field previously used by Witcombe Festival off Brockworth Road. The permission allows them to use the land for one three-day event each year between April 1 and October 31.

The organisers are allowed to sell alcohol, play live and recorded music and have performances at the site from 5pm to 10.30pm on the Friday, from noon to 10.30pm on the Saturday and from noon until 5.30pm on the Sunday.

The music festival, which will raise money for charity Sunflowers Suicide Support, will have a capacity of 3,000 people this year.

The organisers seek to build on the huge popularity of its previous sell-out event at the Old Crown in Paganhill. The proposals were considered by the licensing sub-committee at a meeting yesterday.

A total of 26 people objected to the proposals while six wrote in favour of the proposals. Henri Schreuder, who lives nearby, was among those who spoke at the meeting.

He raised concerns about the prospect of gatecrashers trampling over his land to get to the festival. “All the people who don’t want to pay will get in via my property,” he said.