Geoff all buoyed up as it’s almost T time
Organisers aim for a fresh start
T in the Park’s top man said he is “buoyed” by the strength of local support ahead of Scotland’s major music festival, which returns to Strathallan Castle next weekend.
The Herald caught up with Geoff Ellis, CEO of DF Concerts and Events, on Tuesday ahead of Scotland’s largest music festival being staged near Auchterarder for the second time from July 8-10.
• Turn to page three for the full interview.
T in the Park’s top man said he is “buoyed” by the strength of local support ahead of Scotland’s major music festival, which returns to Strathallan Castle next weekend.
The Herald caught up with Geoff Ellis, CEO of DF Concerts and Events, on Tuesday ahead of Scotland’s largest music festival being staged near Auchterarder for the second time from July 8-10.
He said: “I’m feeling very optimistic this year and am really buoyed by the strength of local support - it’s overwhelming and really encouraging to see.”
Mr Ellis, who attended a charity ball at the castle on Saturday in aid of Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance, said it was reassuring to get good feedback from Strath residents who had been telling him the festival is a “great thing for the area”.
He continued: “People are really supportive and I think that is very important. People are either fully on board with the event or they fully understand the benefits of the event to the area and that’s great.”
Traffic issues and wildlife concerns before T’s inaugural outing on Strathallan Castle Estate caused controversy in 2015. But extensive changes – such as a slight reduction in capacity to 70,000 festivalgoers per day, a larger site, increased campsite and a revamped plan in relation to the roads network – in addition to the appointment of a new management team have been implemented in a bid to avoid a repeat performance.
Mr Ellis, who maintains there has “never been a significant amount of resistance to the event”, continued: “There are always some people who, for their own reasons, don’t want something to happen in an area – and that can be in an urban area or a rural area – and I think that is their prerogative.
“I think last year there was a bit of scaremongering going on and people were worried about what they don’t know so people thought perhaps the noise was going to be too much, but then realised actually no noise levels were broken; or people thought that perhaps there would be an increase in crime in the area, and that was always the case at Kinross as well, but I think that people have been reassured about that.”
Regarding the traffic chaos, he said: “Yes, there were traffic issues and we can’t hide from that and that’s why we ripped up the traffic management plan and brought in Melvin Benn and his team and we have a new transport manager.
“We’ve now got a traffic management plan that residents, community councils, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, Perth and Kinross Council and all the other relevant agencies are on board with and fully supportive of. We are all very confident of it working.”
And with regards to the summer visitors who take up residence in the grounds of Strathallan Castle from April to August, Mr Ellis declared: “The ospreys are getting on fine. Fortunately, this year they have been left alone – they were left alone by us last year but they weren’t left alone by everyone else.
“Wildlife and T in the Park can co- exist – we always said that and that’s always happened. They raised chicks last year.”
“That doesn’t always happen in nature and T in the Park had no adverse effect whatsoever and I would underline the ‘whatsoever’.”
Mr Ellis added that the worse thing that could have happened was for the nest to have failed naturally and that T in the Park would have got the blame.
“After all the media interest in them last year I think people were willing them not to succeed but they did, with T in the Park being there, and have proven that they can coexist with the music.”
I am really buoyed by the strength of local support - it’s overwhelming