Tribute bands festival facing council opposition

The festival is planned for 30 August at Cheltenham Racecourse

A music festival featuring tribute acts could be barred from going ahead over licensing concerns.

Cheltenham Tribute Festival is scheduled to take place at the racecourse on Saturday 30 August. It is planned to feature tribute acts of Queen, The Killers, Dua Lipa, Arctic Monkeys, Rihanna, Pink and Oasis and run from noon to 22:00 BST.

Tickets have been on sale but the event does not yet have a premises licence, with Cheltenham Borough Council due to consider the plans two days before the event takes place.

The organisers have been approached for comment through Cheltenham Racecourse.

Festival organisers have applied for permission for live and recorded music to be played from noon until 23:00 BST as well as the supply of alcohol.

The event's Facebook page also promises street food stalls, fairground rides and craft stalls.

'Risk of collision'

But environmental protection officers at Cheltenham Borough Council and neighbouring Tewkesbury Borough Council are calling for the licence application to be refused, citing the potential for "significant public nuisance" in the area.

Tewkesbury Borough Council officers added that the noise management plan does not include any provision for off-site noise monitoring on the day of the event, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

Cheltenham Borough Council's senior environmental health officer has also raised concerns over public safety, crowd management, water provision and protection of children from harm.

"The plans do not account for the A435 road closure. The method of segregating vehicles and pedestrians on site are not clear," they said in the report.

"No detailed plan has been provided to indicate safe ingress and egress of vehicles or pedestrians, during the build and the event. There may be a risk of vehicle pedestrian collision."

The council's licensing sub-committee will consider the proposals at a meeting on 28 August.