Kite festival cancelled after conservation concerns

The Royston Kite festival has been running for more than 30 years but will be cancelled in 2024

A “popular” kite festival that has been running for more than 30 years is being cancelled after Natural England raised objections.

Organisers of the event in Royston, Hertfordshire, had been asked to apply for planning approval by conservators who protect Therfield Heath.

Conservators said they had to strike a “difficult balancing act” between protecting the heath and allowing various activities.

John Torlesse, Natural England's deputy director for West Anglia, said the issue was not with the festival but the preparation needed for it to take place.

He said: "We've got to remember this is a really special wildlife site... if you go and mow it you really do harm that special nature which I know a lot of people do appreciate."

The kite festival was held annually in August, and organisers said it had raised £100,000 for charities such as the East Anglia Air Ambulance and MIND.

“It’s a very pleasant day out,” said Martin Berry, chair of the Kite Festival committee at Royston Rotary Club. “People just sit, bring a picnic, maybe a glass of wine, and watch the displays."

He said professional kite flyers brought a variety of kites to the “big arena” of Therfield Heath.

“It's on a perfect piece of land, ideal to fly a kite and has a magnificent view across to Ely.”

Organisers say the festival has raised over £100,000 for local charities

The Rotary club said it submitted a planning application in November, but Natural England raised concerns about the festival being held on a site of special scientific interest (SSI).

He said the club had carried out “a formal public consultation” about the kite festival.

“The overwhelming response was yes, people wanted it," he said.

“It brings the town together – it's a family thing and community thing,” he added.

Although the planning inspectorate has not yet announced a decision, he said the organisers had “reached a point where we start incurring costs” that “could not be recovered if approval is denied”.

“We deeply regret the cancellation and would like to emphasise how grateful we are to those conservators who have given up a great deal of their time to help us through this process," he added.

If permission was refused, Mr Berry said the kite festival could be “gone” for good.

Conservators of Therfield Heath said they were "disappointed" at this year's cancellation

The conservators said they were "disappointed" about the cancellation.

They said they had been working with the Rotary club for four years to find an alternative site or date due to conservation issues.

"The problem with holding the event in early August is that the area really needs to be cut regularly from mid-March to prevent ground nesting birds nesting, which would prevent us cutting the grass later."

They added that as a "small group of elected volunteers", they were operating within "complex legal frameworks" and had "an increasingly difficult balancing act between the various activities on the heath and our desire to protect the environment and biodiversity".

Martin Berry says organisers had to cancel the event or risk incurring heavy costs

Mr Torlesse, from Natural England, added: "This is a really special place, these sites are among the county's best wildlife sites.

"We don't have a problem with the festival going ahead, it's just whether we can find a way of looking at the timings of when it happens, look at the mowing and then I'm sure we can find a way through this."