Festivals to go ahead despite safety concerns

Six events are set to be held at Wheelers Farm in Chelmsford, Essex this year

Residents have raised safety concerns over a series of festivals set to take place near a busy road.

Permission has been granted for six events to take place at Wheelers Farm, Chelmsford in Essex.

Some people living in the area asked Chelmsford City Council's licensing panel to reject the application on the grounds of traffic safety.

A panel spokesperson said: "There was no current evidence to indicate prospective harm at this stage."

Last summer, organisers LDN Wild put on three events at the farm in Little Waltham, which up to 1,400 guests attended.

Two of the upcoming festivals cannot exceed 3,000 guests, while two others cannot exceed 1,500 attendees, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The remaining two events are set to have a guest limit 1,000 people.

The six fetivals are to be held between 30 April and 31 October annually with licensable hours between 13:00 BST to 23:00 on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Chelmsford City Council's licensing committee heard concerns around road safety particularly for pedestrians at previous events - albeit in 2021 the event had been run by a different operator.

There were problems of congestion and safety on the local highways network, including cars being abandoned on grass verges and pedestrians walking along unlit fast roads.

Cars parked on Essex Regiment Way on 4 September 2021

A statement from the committee granting the licence said: "The committee carefully considered the concerns expressed by the police, local residents Chelmsford Garden Community Council and Little Waltham Parish Council, but considered that, with the imposition of the conditions referred to which were discussed and largely agreed upon at the meeting, there was no current evidence to indicate prospective harm at this stage.

"There have been no significant issues with events taking place since 2021."