Local opposition threatens music festival

One resident has described drum & bass as "invasive"

An open-air dance music festival in rural Herefordshire could be under threat following backlash from nearby residents.

GemFest 2024 at Great Howle Farm, Howle Hill south of Ross-On-Wye is due to run from 14 June to 16 June.

One objector said: "Previous events at this site have caused considerable disturbance, noise nuisance (and) helicopter traffic."

Herefordshire Council has confirmed the application, which requests permission to serve alcohol and play music until 03:00 BST has been passed to the council’s licensing sub-committee.

A recent consultation on the matter drew 15 public objections deemed relevant in licensing terms, along with a further 12 which were rejected by Herefordshire Council officials.

One resident said the drum & bass genre was “recognised as one of the most invasive as far as music noise pollution is concerned”.

“It does seem unreasonable that this will continue until 03:00 BST on two consecutive nights,” another nearby resident added.

Yet another person said they were “concerned regarding the increase in traffic on our very small, pothole-ridden local lanes”.

But apart from conditions put forward by trading standards officers, which have been agreed to, no conditions have been made by authorities responsible for noise pollution, the council said.

A decision on the festival's fate is expected to be made on 7 June.

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

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