Councillors are to meet organisers of the Doune the Rabbit Hole music festival within weeks to look at why this weekend’s event was left hanging in the balance.
Stirling Council’s planning and regulation panel held an online emergency meeting on Wednesday evening and conditionally approved the event’s licence.
But officials were given the authority to suspend that if outstanding matters weren’t addressed by yesterday afternoon (Thursday).
As reported in Wednesday’s Observer, the panel had already held a previous emergency meeting on Monday of this week, with the festival hanging in the balance after concerns were raised by emergency services and council officials.
Thousands of revellers, including families, started arriving yesterday (Thursday) looking forward to seeing dozens of acts including Patti Smith, Jabberwocky, Amy Macdonald, The Bluebells and Boney M up to and including Sunday.
Wednesday’s hearing heard that police, fire and ambulance criteria were now satisfied and that visitor numbers had been reduced from 15,000 to 10,000 - but some environmental health and building control requirements had still to be met.
Environmental health officials said they were withdrawing their objection to the licence having had verbal assurance from trusted contractors on electrical safety and water system commissioning matters.
However, building control officers said they would be unable to sign off before seeing the completed stages, some of which were still under construction during a visit that day same day.
Councillor Rachel Nunn, who chaired the panel meeting, said: “Within six weeks of the festival going ahead we would like to have a meeting with the applicants to draw to their attention just how onerous this has been for all parties involved and to come to some agreement so that we don’t end up at 7pm the night preceding the festival and be in this position again and so that we are several weeks ahead in being able to grant a licence and just being subject to inspections.
“I would have hoped the applicant would be here tonight because I was hoping they would thank the officers and other agencies involved for all their hard work which has gone absolutely above and beyond and is still going on until tomorrow.
“Very specifically thanks to Environmental Health, Building Control, all the supporting officers and the legal team of Stirling Council. Thanks also to the police, Scottish Ambulance Service and Scottish Fire and Rescue because.
“It’s you guys who have made this happen so thank you very much.”
Councillor Chris Kane said panel members were not so much “happy” with the outcome but more “relieved and amazed”.
He added: “Happy is not the word I would have used given that we are meeting at 6.40pm the day before the festival.”
A spokesperson for the festival organisers said: “The organisers are incredibly excited to open their gates and welcome visitors for a fantastic weekend and long-awaited return.”
At a meeting of the panel at the end of June, licensing team leader Stephanie Cameron had said the application had been brought to the panel’s attention due to “significant concerns” raised through the safety advisory group by internal and external stakeholders.
As well as more detailed paperwork and other technical requirements, emergency services including police, fire and ambulance had wanted more assurances on access for emergency vehicles, stewarding and ratio of medical personnel.
However at the same meeting the organisers, who agreed to work closely with the organisations to resolve outstanding matters, suggested things could have been different had any concerns been raised with them at a far earlier stage.
Councillor Neil Benny, who chaired the June meeting, had told all concerned to “strain every sinew” to make sure it was a safe event for everyone involved, saying the festival was a “valued event” and suggesting no blame was being apportioned on any side for the situation as things stood.
