Plan for two-day Christmas street festival blocked

The event on Castle Street in Wolverhampton is expected to take place on 26 and 27 December

Plans to hold a two-day Christmas street festival for up to 2,000 people have suffered a setback after a request to set up a beer tent was rejected.

The festive comedy and music event billed Christmas on Castle Street, was expected to be held on 26 and 27 December in Wolverhampton city centre.

But a request for a licence for the event's beer tent in the former Express & Star offices on Castle Street was blocked by the city council on Thursday.

The application for a temporary event notice (TEN) was denied by councillors, following advice from West Midlands Police.

The event had been organised by Ben Anslow, owner of cafe SPACE, who is also developing the former newspaper offices into apartments.

West Midlands Police had objected to the event application, saying it would "undermine public safety" and Mr Anslow needed to follow the correct procedure.

The application said the planned beer tent had enough space to hold up to 60 people but would potentially serve up to 1,500 people in the street on Boxing Day.

As many as 500 people could attend the seated comedy event on the following day, it added.

The event requires the approval of a temporary event notice and the closure of Castle Street by the council as well as approval from a safety advisory group (SAG).

Sgt Mark Swallow, from the force, said the event first needed to be signed off as safe by relevant authorities before an application for the temporary licence was made.

Nick Semper, representing Mr Anslow, told the hearing on Thursday that the businessman had "invested millions of pounds into Wolverhampton city centre" and wanted to "give back to the city of his birth."

"[The event] will not take place, and I can't stress this enough, will not take place unless there is a street closure order in place and unless the safety advisory group have signed off on the event management plan and associated risk assessment," he added.

The application said Christmas on Castle Street would be a two-day ticketed outdoor event featuring one main stage, with live and recorded music entertainment, food stalls, and refreshments.

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