Tramlines: Extreme weather to be considered in plans for future events, Sheffield Council says

Hillsborough Park was badly damaged by rain

Severe weather will be considered during the planning of future events, Sheffield Council has said.

It comes after torrential rain badly damaged Hillsborough Park during this year's Tramlines festival.

Repair work is still being carried out after 7in (17.78cm) of rain deluged the event's final day, attended by 40,000 people, during the city's wettest July on record.

The council said the situation "cannot be repeated in future years".

"We hope that we'd never see another weekend with such heavy rain, but we also know that extreme weather is likely to happen more regularly," said a report due to be discussed by councillors on Monday.

"This has led to further consideration regarding the number of large music events that can be held in Hillsborough in a relatively short timescale."

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The report noted the Arctic Monkeys had played in the park across two nights the month before Tramlines.

"If the weather had been extreme in June, the grassed area may not have recovered in time to hold Tramlines," it said.

"This cannot happen in the future and we will factor in the impact of severe weather during the Tramlines weekend when making any decisions about large scale events in future."

Repair work is still ongoing at Hillsborough Park two months after the festival

Grassed areas of Hillsborough Park were fenced off throughout the summer school holidays as experts in sports pitch renovation worked to repair the site.

While the festival is paying for all renovations, the park's main field remains inaccessible and the disruption has led to calls from some to move the event.

The council has ruled out relocating the festival as it says it is the only place with a big enough capacity and good transport links.

It added it was unlikely to move the date of Tramlines as it needed to avoid clashing with the football season and headline acts might be booked for other festivals.

A local authority review launched after this year's Tramlines found "varied weather patterns" had made decision-making difficult during the event.

Council officers are to consider whether the festival should have been called off on the Sunday, when the torrential rain turned the site into a mudbath.

Straw and bark was placed on the ground for protection but the council did not anticipate how quickly the ground would deteriorate, the report said.

Matting then had to be removed before grass could be re-seeded, causing a delay in repairs, before a hot and dry start to September further delayed regrowth.