Formal Review of Glastonbury Festival 2004

27 Sep 2004

The Licensing Board of Mendip District Council met on the evening of 22nd September to review Glastonbury Festival 2004. Councillors considered a written report from the officers of the council, presented by Charles Uzzell, the Business Manager Planning and Environment at Mendip District Council, and reports from the statutory consultees, which included the Emergency Services, the Environment Agency and local Parish Councils.

In summary Charles Uzzell confimed:

• The event was very successful.
• The Festival was thought by most to be the safest and best ever.
• The Milestone Conditions were all satisfactorily met by the set deadlines.
• There were some breaches of the Licence, the majority of which are considered to be minor. With regard to breaches related to night-time noise Members were asked to consider what action should be taken.
• Council monitoring of the event was highly professional and comprehensive.
• The impact on local communities was considered to have improved from 2003, although it is recognized that the impact from noise was unacceptable.
• The multi-agency partnership working should be seen as an exemplar of major events such as this Festival.
• Many aspects of the event demonstrate the site to have been at or very close to capacity.

Detail of the reports can be found on Mendip District Council website, except that by Pilton Parish Council, which was issued at the meeting.

The Pilton Parish Council report was the most critical, highlighting problems for villagers with excessive noise levels, the use of the village as a Festival access route and concerns about crime levels in the area post –event.

Melvin Benn responded for the Festival, emphasizing what progress had been achieved in running the 2004 event. The noise issue apart Melvin explained this was a very upbeat review of the organization of the event. While acknowledging that more must be done to manage noise above and beyond the interventions he made this year, he put the comparatively small number of complaints into context.

Councillors discussed the issues raised by the reports and decided to note the overall improvement of Glastonbury Festival in 2004, and to endorse recommendations listed by council staff.

With regard to Environmental Noise Control issue, councillors decided to see how the Festival responded to this problem in the next licence application. The Festival was invited to submit proposals to the November Licensing Board on how the adverse impact on the local community of amplified music would be mitigated at any future event to comply with Public Entertainment Licence conditions.

The response by the Festival will enable councillors to determine if it will be appropriate to prosecute the breaches of noise conditions relating to the 2004 Festival.

So it is a case of “watch this space” as the final part of the review of Glastonbury Festival 2004 is addressed in the licence application for Glastonbury Festival 2005.

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