Neighbours have been promised action to limit noise from a massive festival that could see 60,000 music lovers pack out Newcastle’s Town Moor this summer.
The Black Eyed Peas, Clean Bandit, and Mabel are among the acts due to play the huge LooseFest at the end of July. But city council bosses say there is “concern” about the nuisance that the major event could cause to locals in Jesmond, after a recent row over festivals that has seen strict new conditions imposed in Exhibition Park.
A local authority report warns that the two-day festival on July 30 and 31 will “expose residents to 10 hours of repetitive bass music noise”, with LooseFest having a capacity of up to 30,000 people per day across its five dance music stages. Newcastle City Council must grant permission for the Freemen of Newcastle to use the local authority’s licence in order for events to be held on the Town Moor and has agreed to do so in principle for LooseFest – on the condition of noise and crowd dispersal plans being submitted by the organisers.
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David Wilson, chair of the Freemen, said the body was well aware of the need to cut down on noise after the furore caused by last year’s This is Tomorrow concerts and promised “comprehensive” plans.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The Freemen of Newcastle are very much looking forward to hosting the LooseFest event on the Town Moor for the first time. We hope that this will be a great event for the residents of the city and the region.
“We work hard to make the Town Moors available to the public for their enjoyment 365 days per year, for a very wide range of leisure uses, including relaxing, air and exercise, walking, jogging, running, cycling, etc. and in the case of LooseFest for a music festival. We are working closely with the event promoters and the city council to ensure that this will be a fabulous event enjoyed by many people; the feedback and response so far has been excellent.
“We are very conscious of the need to minimise any associated effects from the event on the local community, in particular in respect of sound. We have commissioned two separate professional sound modelling exercises for the site, to enable us to use the latest techniques and technologies to implement a comprehensive sound management plan and associated procedures.
“In consultation with the city council we have developed a strategy for events by which we will limit the number of large music events to be held on the Town Moors normally to only two per year. We do hope that these actions will reassure any concerned locals that we are keen to look after their interests and will continue to work to make the Town Moors available for the enjoyment of all.”
The city council recently imposed a strict set of rules, including tighter noise limits and a requirement to give six months’ notice, on major events in Exhibition Park after dozens of complaints last year about This is Tomorrow. Asked if the same limits would be put on LooseFest, a council spokesman said that its licence “will be different, however we meet regularly with the event organisers who are aware of the noise restrictions”.
A smaller three-day festival, the Rock n Roll Circus is also due to be held on the Town Moor, next month. It is set to feature performers including Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Years & Years, but will have a more limited capacity of just 7,000 people.
