Residents object to return of onion festival
Onion in the Wood is due to be held in September 2024
At a glance
Residents have raised issues of concern after a festival released its planned dates
The Onion Fayre will be held in September of 2024
Concerns over space and safety have been caused through fears of "Glastonbury-style" sets
However the planners have addressed these issues, stating the site will be "family-friendly"
- Published
A festival which could bring nearly 5,000 people to a small Gloucestershire town has generated strong opposition from some locals.
Onion in the Wood will take place at Newent Arboretum in September 2024.
Applicants Andy Offord and Paul O'Neill were granted a licence by Forest of Dean Council which will allow music to be played and alcohol sold over the weekend it is held.
Residents who live near the proposed venue have concerns, however Mr Offord has ruled out "thumping DJ sets" and said it will be a family-friendly event.
See CBBC's Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes take part in a past onion eating competition at the Fayre
Onion in the Wood is a modern version of the internationally renowned Onion Fayre
They Fayre dates back to 1226 and went through a quiet period when Covid-19 stopped many public events.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, organisers hope to attract about 4,800 people to the Bradfords Lane site.
The festival will include camping facilities for visitors and staff in the fields next to the wood along with a VIP and caravan/motorhome parking.
'We were not consulted'
Barrie Wellington, a resident of Bradfords Lane, and a former director of the company which owned the arboretum field, said he and many others were not consulted about the plans.
“We weren’t consulted by the town council or anyone else. We all feel we’ve been subjected to shock treatment," he said.
Another local, Gary Bradbury is not against the festival idea, but has raised concern over safety issues.
He explained: “How are they going to control 4,800 people standing in front of that stage with our house behind?
“It’s the volume of people. The numbers that this event is proposing in the space that we seriously feel is public nuisance, safety and disorder."
A petition signed by more than 200 locals said: "It would be naive to think that by drinking all day and late into the night there would not be a risk of crime."
Mr O'Neill has responded to the concerns and said organisers will consider moving the location of the main stage and bar.
“We want to run, and always have run, a very responsible and safe event," he added.
- Published8 September 2018