Event Licence granted to Lounge on the Farm to hold 10,000 visitors

Lounge on the Farm music festival can double in size this year to 10,000 people thanks to a new license.

Canterbury council’s Licensing Sub Committee returned a non-unanimous verdict, allowing the annual summer event’s new license for one year only.

A spokesman for Lounge on the Farm said: “We are happy to have finalised a licence increase to a potential 10,000 people at Merton Farm for 2010.

“The increased capacity will allow us to continue our long-term plans to bring an international-standard music festival to East Kent.

“The increase in capacity actually provides us a much better platform from which to provide a safe, controlled, enjoyable environment for not just all of our attendees but to everyone within the surrounding area.”

Councillors had adjourned a previous meeting because they wanted more information about safety and traffic provision before they made a decision.

The police, the council’s noise pollution department, Lower Hardes and Nackington Parish Council and several locals had complained objected to the new license, but since the last meeting the police and council withdrew their objections after negotiations with festival organisers.

During this second meeting Lounge organiser Victoria Hazell employed licensing lawyer Jerome Dillon to represent her.

Addressing the licensing committee, he said: “You felt you were taking too much for granted. Obviously if you are doubling the number of people you can’t just tweak the premises license.

“The trouble is, when people are familiar with an event and have worked on it, they tend to expect other people have the same information. They tend to skate over issues the committee may want in more detail.”

Lounge on the Farm organisers provided a raft of new information to the committee which councillor Harrison said must have taken a lot of hard work.

During the meeting on Wednesday, April 21 committee chair councillor Harrison said: “This is something of concern to us. We want to get it right because there are a lot more people.”

Lounge on the Farm’s plans must be signed off by a committee of police, fire, ambulance, highway and council officials before the event.

The festival can only sell alcohol until midnight rather than 2am on Friday and Saturday nights and 1am on Sunday night as requested.

Films can only be shown until midnight rather than 5am, scuppering organisers’ idea of having a late-night chill-out cinema area. Live music can continue until 2am on Friday and Saturday and 1am on Sunday as planned.

Tags: Event Licencing, Event Magazine, Lounge on the farm

Category: Event Law & Legal