Two years ago I blogged (see 8 & 14 April 2006) that 55,000 was too many for the IW Festival at Seaclose Park. On behalf of Newport TMC - the shadow Town Council - I made representations to the Tory Licensing Committee that they should retain the then limit of 40,000. They ignored us and accepted assurances from the promoter that he would not need any more than the 60,000 limit he was applying for.......
Last night the Tory Licensing Committee heard representations again from the TMC against another increase in the licensed numbers to 70,000. Once again they were not listened to. No doubt the promoter's assurances were similar to two years ago. It seems he can get exactly what he wants out of this Council.
I support the festival entirely, having been there in three of the last five years (paying for my own ticket), but feel strongly that there has to be a limit for this residential area - on both numbers and licensing hours.
8 comments:
It's going to become less attractive to people - there was hardly any space to move last year and with this increase it will just be unpleasant.
Bah Humbug! Geoff as you know the 'extra' ten thousand are staff, band members and freeloaders not sold tickets. Last year there were over 4,000 people working on site. From a licence point of view they must be counted.
To get world class acts you have to pay top money, fewer people means less cash. Coldplay were £1,000,000, The Stones a similar sum. If you don't want it just say, he'll move it to the mainland and enjoy fewer restrictions and lower costs.
Yes, right. Like he wouldn't face similar problems anywhere else! The site has to safely contain the total number of people whether they all pay for their tickets on not. If he can't fit in with planning requirements at the site that HE has chosen then tough, he is welcome to try somewhere else. It's a commercial operation and he's not doing us any favours by coming here, just trying to maximise the profits.
It's our Island, not his.
AND IT WILL DIE WITHOUT THESE KIND OF EVENTS. THAT MAY BE FINE WITH YOU BUT NOT THE REST OF US.
NO OTHER PLACE HAS THE IW ACT.
IT'S ONLY ON FOR THREE DAYS EACH YEAR AND BRINGS MASSIVE BENEFIT TO OUR ISLAND. MANY OF THE YOUNG WHO ATTEND WILL RETURN YEAR AFTER YEAR, MAYBE ONE DAY WITH THEIR CHILDREN ETC.
Normally I agree with you Geoff but I have to say it is three days and as an Island we need festivals , cowes week etc to make the Island what it is
I wonder if you would be so enthusiastically endorsing such events if you, your property & your children were at the rough ends of such events. I live very near the festival and dread the event each year. I assume by your comments that you agree that my family and their well being plays a secondary role to your own self needs, the needs and profit of the organisers, the IW councils large free be hand outs. Couple this with the National recognition the IW gets from the event and nothing else matter? Glad my family and I could be of service….. I appreciate any efforts (Geoff’s included) to keep such events under check. They are valid but not at the expense of others.
Mr SHOUTING anonymous,
Could I just suggest that you read the messages properly before screaming your reply.
Neither Geoff nor the other posters said that they didn't want the festival. Indeed Geoff said "I support the festival entirely".
What they said is that the numbers should not be allowed to expand beyond the previous limits allowed under planning regulations. Those limits are carefully considered for the well-being of people both inside and outside the site.
I can just imagine the outcry if there is a serious incident inside the festival and people are trampled as a result. "It's the Council's fault, they said it was OK to have so many in there"
The only reason we "need" events such as this is that the island economy is not viable without tourism, and these events generate it. The fact that tourism pays crap wages, making us dependent on people who come here to make a profit out of us, at Cowes Week and other events, is hardly something we should be proud of. IW has to make its mind up; do we want to scoff the crumbs from the rich man's table, or turn our economy round & provide real jobs for decent money? I don't see why we should be grateful to speculators, and effectively prostitute ourselves as we have done for so long. We should be able to welcome this festival, while at the same time having the freedom to say go somewhere else if you don't like our conditions. While we're dependent on tourism, we can't do that. Our loss.
Robert Jones
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