Biggest music festival in Sussex set for summer

However, 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.

Adur District Council granted premises licence to SJM Ltd, authorising the sale of alcohol, late-night refreshment and entertainment.

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.

SJM Concerts say they have listened to concerns and will work to minimise disruption.

Director Rob Ballantine said: “We thank the licensing committee for their detailed deliberation and appreciate this involved thorough research and decision making,” he added.

“We also thank the residents of Shoreham and Lancing for both their support and for highlighting their concerns.

“We appreciate major public events do not just happen without disruption to the day-to-day community life and we will do everything in our powers to provide an event that fulfils our supporters’ aspirations whilst at same time minimalising the disruption to the normal life of this beautiful part of England.

“We look forward to detailed event planning with the district council’s Safety Advisory Group, including the police and statutory authorities. We will also look forward to consulting with the residents and sharing our plans throughout the community.

“We will now start talking to the music business and planning a first-class event for this iconic location and hope to have some very exciting news in the next couple of weeks.”