Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Festival organisers could serve alcohol to up to 3,000 campers
UP to 3,000 campers will be able to consume alcohol on the Glastonbury Festival site this summer if a new licence is granted.
Glastonbury Festival Events Ltd (GFEL) has applied for a licence to sell alcohol from the Goose Hall within the Worthy Farm site in Pilton, as part of the Worthy Pastures event.
The licence, if granted, would allow the company to provide refreshment for up to 3,000 attendees at any one time, with the building itself and the surrounding area being able to accommodate up to 200 people.
Mendip District Council’s licensing sub-committee will meet on Monday afternoon to decide whether the licence should be approved.
GFEL was given permission by the council back in April to hold the Worthy Pastures event, with people able to camp across the festival site for up to six nights at a time between July 23 and August 31.
The new licence will allow the organisers to sell alcohol from the Goose Hall for consumption on and off the premises from 11am to 10pm daily.
A planning document states: “The licensed premises will be used to serve patrons of Worthy Pastures, a family-friendly temporary campsite.
“This is being run as an alternative to the main Glastonbury Festival following its cancellation due to the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The document states a “quiet-time policy” would be in place between 11pm and 8am to prevent excessive noise from the campsite, which could disturb those living nearby.
Pilton resident Nicholas Hall has accused the company of not properly consulting with local people, claiming the parish council only had sight of the proposals on June 2, leaving them with very little time to respond.
He said: “There may be only 200 people in the Goose Hall premises at any time, but there could be 2,800 standing outside. Is this allowed – and if not, how will this be controlled? GFEL should arrange a public meeting before the premises opens to explain how they intend on running this new premises and how they intend on reducing the impact on Pilton residents.” Fellow resident Carolyn Griffiths added: “The rest of the country is hoping to enjoy the summer as restrictions begin to relax.
“Pilton residents are at risk of being denied any such respite for weeks during the entire summer.”
The council’s licensing sub-committee will meet on Monday at 2pm to discuss the proposals.
The meeting will be live-streamed via the council’s official website.