Licence granted for biggest music festival in Sussex

Having met and deliberated at length, the licensing committee today announced it has granted the premises licence to SJM Ltd, authorising the sale of alcohol, late-night refreshment and entertainment.

There are 92 conditions which will have to be met –an unusually high number – before the festival, planned for June 6 and 7 at Shoreham Airport, can go ahead.

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David Simmons, who chaired the committee, said today: “This is the most significant licensing application to come before the council in the nine years that I’ve been a member.

“In coming to our decision, the members sitting on the committee took time to hear the full range of representations from the community, considering these in conjunction with our powers and remit under the Licensing Act and the conditions and mitigations put forward by the applicant.

“It must be remembered that this is an application under the Licensing Act 2003 for a premises licence to authorise the provision of alcohol, late-night refreshment and entertainment as part of a two-day event. This was not an application seeking permission to hold events - this is not a matter that falls under this committee’s remit.

“There are 92 conditions accompanying our decision, conditions which are expressly designed to answer concerns raised by the community and protect local residents from as much disruption as possible.

“I am confident that these conditions, together with the goodwill shown by SJM Ltd, will help all parties to deliver a safe, enjoyable event that adds something different to the local events scene.”

The licence means plans for the festival, a significant new music event in Shoreham, have moved one step closer.

The decision was made following two evenings of public committee hearings and a closed member session on Monday evening. The council said the committee took pains to ensure all relevant representations were made and heard during the hearings.

Conditions placed upon the licence include:

– Attendee numbers have been set at 35,000 per day.

– The event will finish at 1am, rather than the initial proposal for 3am.

– A sound limit has been set by the council’s environmental health team and this will be monitored throughout the event.

– The Event Management Plan is to be signed off by the Safety Advisory Group (which includes representatives of all of the statutory authorities) and the director for communities at the councils, in consultation with the chair of the licensing committee.

– The applicant’s offer of holding public meetings after the event has been accepted to hear feedback from the local community.

With this licence granted, SJM Ltd is now going to work with the local community to address other concerns not covered by the Licensing Act. They have committed to holding public meetings for residents to air their views and influence elements of the proposed event.

In addition, the company will be working closely with the police, the council and other responsible bodies on the Event Management Plan, which includes health and welfare, traffic management and noise disturbance.

More detail on the progress of the proposed summer music event will be released in due course as it becomes available.