Stadium bid to double music events

THE OWNERS of Headingley Stadium are asking Leeds City Council for permission to double the number at large-scale music concerts, despite objections from local residents.

The rugby pitch, along with surrounding stands at the Emerald Headingley Stadium, currently have permission to hold two events per year for up to 9,999 people.

However, a fresh application has been submitted to licensing chiefs at Leeds City Council asking to increase this to four events per year, with no more than 19,999 spectators at each event.

One letter to the council from a concerned resident claimed the plans could make residents’ lives ‘sheer hell’, but the applicants claim noise and light disturbance would be kept to a minimum.

The current permission was granted in August 2019, and helped facilitate the Proms on the Pitch event. It grants the ground permission to hold one event per year, either on a Friday or Saturday between noon and 11pm, and then one event either on a Saturday or a Sunday between 11am and 6pm. The Friday/Saturday events allow for up to 9,999 spectators while the daytime Saturday/Sunday event may involve up to 4,999.

The new application asks for the capacity to increase to ‘up to 19,999 spectators’ for all four events, over two weekends each year. It added the timings would remain the same, suggesting there could be a maximum of two lots of evening and daytime events on consecutive days, although this is not made explicitly clear in the application.

The application states: “There is no change in the layout of the premises. There is no increase in the hours that we wish to operate.” The licensing sub-committee is set to meet on Tuesday March 17 to discuss the plans.