Stone Roses tribute event gets last minute go-ahead
objections cannot be withdrawn by writing less than 24 hours before the hearing.
Reading a statement to the committee, one of the council’s licensing officers said Lightbulb Festival’s late agreement had resulted in a ‘waste of time’ for the local authority.
He said: “This would not have been necessary had the decisions been reached more than 24 hours ago.
“This has given rise to every member of this committee having to read a vast amount of information which they otherwise would not have had to waste their time on.”
The police, fire brigade and local environmental health department had all objected to granting the gig a licence due to public safety concerns.
Lightbulb Festivals had arranged for only a single access point to the island, which the authorities feared would act as a bottleneck and could cause a crush as people left the gig.
They were also concerned that drunk patrons could fall into the canal or be hit by cars given the lack of safe pedestrian routes from Widnes to Spike Island.
Cheshire Constabulary has echoed these concerns, adding that Lightbulb Festivals had staged an event in Warrington last year that required the force to bring in 20 officers more than planned because ‘public safety during egress had not been given sufficient consideration by the organisers’.
The force’s objection said: “These officers were used to form a barrier along the road due to the number of people who just walked out into the road whilst on their phones or generally just not paying attention.”
Other concerns raised by the objections include a lack of detail on the number of security staff at the event, the limited availability of water on Spike Island and whether the local rail network can cope with an influx of 15,000 people.
Some 30,000 people attended the original Stone Roses gig in 1990, widely considered the band’s defining performance.
The anniversary gig on May 16 will be smaller, with 15,000 tickets available, and headlined by tribute act The Clone Roses.
They will be supported by tributes to other 90s Mancunian acts including Oasis, The Happy Mondays and New Order.
Although the event now has a premises licence, the organisers still need to negotiate further details with Halton Borough Council, which owns Spike Island.
The licensing officer said: “The decision tonight is not the end of the matter, but the beginning of another and quite separate process.”