Villagers object to plans for summer festival

THERE are fears drunken revellers could wander into the woods and fall and die if plans for a summer festival in the Forest of Dean get the go-ahead.

Organisers of the Five Bar Gate Festival want permission to hold the event at Stockwood in Clearwell near Coleford in August. The independent music festival would run from Thursday to Sunday and they say it offers a social environment that is safe, family friendly and appealing to younger audiences.

But local residents and Newland Parish Council are opposing the plans which they say there has been a lack of public consultation over. Objectors say the amplified music will be a nuisance for villagers and the guests of the nearby hotel. And people also fear drunken festival goers could hurt themselves by wandering into the woods and falling down one of the hollows, known as scowles.

Mark Cordory, an objector, said: “I simply cannot see how it could safely accommodate either regular large groups of unsupervised and inebriated individuals, or indeed a full-blown festival as proposed.

“The potential damage to the location is great, not to mention the very real potential of physical harm or even death for drunken individuals venturing into the scowles at night. This is simply not a safe venue for anyone in the dark who doesn’t know the area.”

Organisers say the festival will heavily rely on local bands, artists and performers. The applicant says a team of around 20 stewards will be used over the course of the weekend to ensure that the public are communicated with clearly.

The council’s licensing subcommittee is due to consider the plans at a meeting on January 26.

PLANS to dump hundreds of thousands of tonnes of sediment from Hinkley Point into the Bristol Channel at Portishead face a legal challenge.

Environmental groups represented by Tarian Hafren say the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) unlawfully varied EDF Energy’s licence to deposit dredged material at the Severn Estuary Marine Protection Area.

The disposal site is close to Portbury Wharf Salt Marsh, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and part of the Severn Estuary Special Protection Area.

Tarian Hafren argues that the MMO did not have the statutory power to change the licence for dredging to include dumping, did not give adequate reasons for doing so, failed to examine the potential impact of the dredging on marine life, and ignored a less harmful method of waste disposal.

High Court judge Beverley Lang ruled that the grounds for a judicial review are arguable and the claim will be heard this spring.

Cian Ciaran, for Tarian Hafren, said: “The Welsh National Marine Plan accepts no dumping in the Welsh half of the estuary, but the Welsh authorities failed to press MMO to comply on the English side. As Geiger Bay, we established at court in 2018 that the Welsh authorities were wrong to license dumping near Cardiff. Let’s now compel the MMO to respect the protected status that’s needed for both fish stocks and wildlife.”

He said a report had shown that alternative on-land cooling systems should be used instead.

EDF Energy secured permission in August to dredge and dump material from Hinkley Point C off Portishead, despite objections from North Somerset Council and Portishead Town

Council and their calls for a public inquiry.

Rowan Smith, from law firm Leigh Day which is representing Tarian Hafren, said: “Our client has been clear from the outset that the MMO did not have the legal power to license the dumping of mud from Hinkley Point C in the Severn Estuary in the way that it did.

“The court’s decision vindicates why this case is being brought. Our client’s aims are to uphold the Marine Protection Area’s special conservation status.”

Tarian Hafren has launched a crowd-funding campaign to raise £60,000 to cover its legal costs.

An MMO spokesperson said: “The marine licence was varied following a public consultation exercise and based on the best available scientific evidence. As legal proceedings remain ongoing it is not appropriate to comment further at this time.”

Chris Fayers, EDF’s head of environment for the 3.2-gigawatt project said: “Hinkley Point C is one of Britain’s biggest projects in the fight to protect the environment from climate change.

“Mud dredging in the Severn is normal practice and extensive testing by the Government’s marine science agency the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Sciences has shown the mud is safe and poses no risk to the public or the environment.

“An independent report commissioned by the Welsh Government found the mud to be suitable for disposal at sea. We have engaged positively with stakeholders throughout and a public consultation was also carried out.”