Licence granted for September music festival

A music festival has been given the go ahead to operate in September after organisers postponed the event due to "compliance issues."

Organisers of Existance festival near Tetbury, previously got a licence for June, despite a number of concerns raised, but was postponed.

Issues raised from parish councils and residents included fire risk, noise pollution and environmental impact, but no issues were raised by the fire service, police or utility services, with festival organisers saying they had put together a very extensive management plan for the event.

"I'm happy to get the licence approved, we're looking to run a safe yet complaint event," Daniel Wilde, Existance organiser said.

"This is a good outcome for everyone, not just ourselves," he added.

The licence has been granted on condition of a traffic management plan and adequate fire safety measures, including signage about pyrotechnics, barbecues and safe cigarette disposal.

Existance is a three day Psytrance festival with up to 2,000 people expected to attend over the weekend.

The festival had previously been held near Malmesbury in Wiltshire but was forced to relocate due to noise levels - something event organisers blamed on a contractor.

Ashley Green, 37, from Porth, Wales, is going for the first time after getting into Psytrance around 6 years ago.

"It's the repetitiveness of certain frequencies, particularly the sub-bass frequencies under 28 hertz," he said.

"The repetitiveness of that is quite a stimulating process," he added.

He thinks the community around psytrance, is one of the best in dance music and has and never seen any criminal activity at an event.

"For the people that do enjoy this scene, it's an opportunity to all meet up and have a dance together and connect as people, as humans, with friends, sometimes family," he said

"One of the most famous acts in our genre refers to it as the biggest genre no one's ever heard of," said Wilde.

"The music is quite esoteric, it's niche, some people would call it a unique form of dance music but we love it," he added.

Lorraine Jones, a DJ playing the festival, says psytrance festivals are "full of beautiful souls there specifically to dance to the music they love so much."

Issues concerning residents included noise levels, traffic and the risk of fire.

The organisers cited a noise management plan which showed residents living closest to the site would not hear music at a level of more than 43db outside their homes after 23:00 BST.

Organisers described this as equivalent to a fridge humming.

Judy Pratt is in the process of selling Ashley farm which borders the festival site and said she was "angry, worried... incredibly upset," the festival had got the licence.

Di Thomas is chair of Long Newnton Parish Council and is concerned about what she calls a lack of engagement with local residents.

"They have not communicated with us as a parish council at all, they have not communicated with any of the local industries at all," she said.

"They have just ploughed on doing what they think they want to do," she added.

A nearby business Melcourt industries which operates HGV's made representations concerned about the traffic, saying they had not been consulted.

Rebecca Lowe, who represented the organisers, said they had banned disposable BBQ's and camp stoves and are taking fire prevention "very seriously".

Gloucestershire Police and Fire and Rescue made no representations against the application.

Lowe said organisers would liaise with businesses, residents and parish councils.

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