Festival noise would be extreme nuisance - council

The noise from a planned annual music festival on the England-Wales border would be an "extreme nuisance", a parish council has claimed.

The organisers of GemFest, which was held near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, last year, have applied to put on the event on farmland close to Walterstone for the next five years.

The previous event drew about 1,500 people and Gemfestival Ltd, which submitted a licensing application to Herefordshire Council, is hoping it will grow to up to 5,000 in the coming years.

But concerns have been raised by Longtown Group Parish Council about the potential for noise and parking issues.

It said emergency services access would be "severely restricted", while the noise could cause "extreme nuisance to local people".

The proposed 600 parking spaces would also be "totally inadequate", the council added.

The 2025 edition of the festival would be held on the weekend between 13-16 June, according to the application, and would feature "an eclectic range of electronic dance music".

According to a map submitted with the plans, there would be six stages in total along with stalls and bars.

Permission has been requested to allow alcohol sales, food and drink, and live or recorded music to take place into the early hours.

Camping for festival-goers would be located on the Welsh side of the River Monnow, with two existing public footbridges providing access to the main site.

The application is set to be discussed by Herefordshire Council's licensing committee on 17 April.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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