Locals’ fury at rocking aristocrat’s ‘Glastonbury in Cotswolds’
THE Duke of Beaufort has upset neighbours over plans to host a series of concerts in the grounds of his Badminton Estate, which critics fear may lead to ‘Glastonbury in the Cotswolds’.
Bunter Beaufort, 70, who himself sings with a rock group called The Listening Device, started selling tickets on the Badminton website for Rod Stewart and The Who concerts on two Sundays in July despite not having a licence at the time.
Cotswold District Council later granted promoter Robomagic Live a licence for the events, which are being held at Worcester Lodge – despite vociferous opposition from residents of the neighbouring villages of Didmarton and Sopworth.
Thirty-nine residents of the villages that are closest to the concert venue had complained about the application, which included the provision of plays, films, live music, recorded music and dance.
They fear their homes will reverberate from the music between midday and 11.30pm on the days of the concert, and that the country lanes around the estate will be blocked by 25,000 rowdy concertgoers as well as traffic.
Nick Hare, chairman of Sopworth Parish Meeting and lives in the village, wrote: ‘I wish to strongly object to this licence application, on the basis that the subject site is totally unsuited for events of the nature, scope, and frequency under consideration.
‘The proposals represent wholly unacceptable risks in terms of crime and disorder, public safety, health and safety, public nuisance, potential harm to residents and risk to the prompt attendance of emergency services.
‘The granting of a licence on this site, and the potential consequences, presents unwarranted and wholly avoidable inconvenience and distress to the residents of several neighbouring villages, road users and the public.’
James Middleton, who lives in Didmarton, added: ‘ I fear that issuing this open- ended licence for a few concerts will soon grow to events intruding on Didmarton and surrounding villages many weekends throughout the year. You will be opening Pansmaller dora’s Box. ‘ Do we/ you really want “Glastonbury in the Cotswolds” in the future? The planned location is in open ground surrounded by trees with pinewoods to the south. In mid-summer the fire risk will be high.
‘With 11 to 12 hours’ drinking licences, drunks will camp overnight (whatever the organisers say to the contrary) increasing the potential for a major fire incident.
‘In summary, agreeing to this licence comes with significant road safety and fire risks on top of the pollution, environmental and noise problems intruding on all the villages around the proposed site.’
Fellow Didmarton resident Susan Ellis complained: ‘Why do the two major concerts need to be on a Sunday causing disruption into the early hours of Monday when adults and children need to be up on time for work and school?
‘The company say that the music will end at 23:30 and they will have 25,000 people off the site, across the A433, in their cars and clear of the village by 2400 [midnight]. This is utterly ludicrous.
‘Westonbirt Arboretum hosts concerts with 5,000 to 7,000 attendees and it takes at least two hours to clear that site with much numbers and cars parked in the vicinity. She went on: ‘We are also concerned that alcohol will be on sale till 24:00 and, before and after the concert, visitors in large numbers, probably inebriated, will be wandering around the village creating noise and litter. Persuading them all to leave the village by 2400 is impossible.’
And Antony Brassey, who lives in Didmarton, said: ‘The question which has to be asked is whether this application has sufficient detail to allow it to be determined and enforced.
‘I suggest that in its wide ranging and only vague outline form it completely fails to pass the test. It is dangerously lacking in detail and should be rejected.’ In their licensing application, the organisers stated that they would take all appropriate steps to make sure the events are safe and do not cause a nuisance to the community, including by monitoring fire safety in accordance with a risk assessment, minimising disruption to local roads, and working to ensure attendees leave quietly.
Cotswold District Council has already discussed the locals’ objections with the applicants, who have agreed to an earlier finish of 10.30pm, with a contingency of 30 minutes extra in case the shows overrun.
The Badminton estate and Robomagic did not respond to requests for comment.
‘Risk of public nuisance’