BREAKING NEWS: Big Kahuna music festival's licensing bid approved

Plans for a new music festival near Horsham cleared a major hurdle as the organiser's licensing application was approved today (Monday April 4).
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The Happy Mondays are headlining The Big Kahuna, which could see between 7,000 and 10,000 people attend the event at Holmbush Forest over this year’s August bank holiday weekend.

Residents of Faygate and Colegate have raised concerns around the noise disturbance to nearby homes, traffic, and fire risk.

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But Fire and Ice Productions’ application, which included permission to sell alcohol and play live music, was approved by Horsham District Council’s licensing sub committee on Monday.

Alasdair Adam, director of Fire and Ice Productions, said: “We have put in a lot of work to make sure we listen to concerns of residents.”

But Andrew Finnegan, who lives in Holmbush House, said they would not be able to enjoy their properties for three to four days and could have to endure an ‘unacceptable level of nuisance’.

He said they faced being ‘marooned’ in their own homes, but Mr Adam said residents should have quite easy access in and out of Holmbush House during the weekend.

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Mr Finnegan said they were very worried about a business who previously organised office and Christmas parties for companies.

Mr Adam said it was their first venture into this specific area, but they had engaged a company to handle security who was involved in Brighton Pride.

Meanwhile F1 Accoustics, which would ensure that noise levels remained below the agreed limits, has worked at Glastonbury and Leeds Festival.

He contested claims that his company had a ‘poor safety record’ and explained that this report had stemmed from a operations licence for heavy vehicles, which had not been renewed in time due to the death of his transport manager.

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Steve Garley, speaking on behalf of Colegate Parish Council, said they would like people visiting Faygate and Colegate but did not want to see 4,000 cars and 10,000 people turning up.

Duncan Noel-Paton, another Holmbush House resident, questioned the organiser’s claim it would be a child friendly event, suggesting that hard drinking and drug taking would not be a ‘safe environment for young people’.

But the applicant had satisfied the council’s environmental health officer and Sussex Police’s neighbourhood policing team.

Paul Marshall, chair of the licensing sub committee, said they had noted the considerable attention in the application from the public, but the evidence had to be assessed against the four licensing objectives.

Reaction to follow.

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