The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
T in the Park:
Fears next year’s show will be axed.
T in the Park bosses are keeping tightlipped about the future of the festival, amid growing concern next year’s show could be axed.
DF Concerts, the organisers behind the long-running Perthshire event, are understood to be in talks about staging a new three-day festival in Glasgow.
The move has sparked speculation T in the Park will not go ahead at Strathallan Castle next summer.
Organisers will need to secure planning permission if they want to return to the estate in 2017.
Traders in Auchterarder, near the Strathallan site, said the loss of the festival would be a major blow to the area and the local economy.
Carol Wood, chairwoman of the Auchterarder Community Partnership, said: “Being affiliated with T in the Park has been great for Auchterarder, because it does a great job of raising our profile.
“It’s not just about how much money local shops make during the weekend of the festival, it’s more about letting people know that we are here and showing them what we have to offer.”
Ms Wood, who runs the Chocolate Galley, said: “In that respect, it would be a real shame to see T in the Park lost from the area.”
Other shopkeepers said they had been unaffected by the festival, with some reporting a downturn in trade during the weekend itself.
Liz Smith MSP, who campaigned for increased safety after three drug-related deaths at this year’s festival, said: “Any move away from Perth and Kinross would have significant implications for the local council, the police, festival goers and the wider public.
“Following 2015 and 2016 we have looked to work with all partners to try to resolve the issues that affected the festival and have felt that new proposals would be forthcoming. Above all I would call for clarity regarding T in the Park’s future at Strathallan.”
Strathallan councillor Ann Gaunt said: “I am sure this would have a major impact on the local economy, although I know some residents would not be unhappy about it.”
No one from DF Concerts would comment on recent reports. A source close to the show said that planning for T was ongoing.