Concerns have been raised about events that are planned to take place at a farm in Powys bought 'to support and grow' the Green Man festival by the Welsh Government. In May of 2022, the government purchased the Gilestone Farm site in the Brecon Beacons National Park for £4.25m.
Over the past few months however, ministers have been criticised for buying the farm in the Talybont-on-Usk village before a full business plan was provided. The Green Man festival's managing director, Fiona Stewart, has said that the festival, which is hosted every August at the Glanusk Estate, was "not moving" to Gilestone Farm but has only given vague indications what the site will be used for.
Officials have told local councillors there are plans to host three gatherings a year for as many as 3,000 people at the property. Although no final decision has been made on the site, officials have been discussing leasing it to the festival company. According to Philip Darbyshire, the co-chair of Usk Valley Conservation Group, there are now concerns about the site's future.
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A meeting took place in November of last year between Welsh Government representatives and the Talybont-on-Usk Community Council. Minutes from the meeting shows that the Community Council's Working Group stated that "the fundamental issue was the concerns around mass tourism events and the impact on the ecology and environment".
Speaking to Wales Online, Mr Darbyshire, who attended the meeting, said that he did not know "a great deal" about the Welsh Government and Green Man's business plans for the site. He said: "Representatives of the Welsh Government came down on November 17, 2022. They came to an informal meeting with ourselves and our community council.
"At the meeting, they confirmed to us that the site was to be used for festivals, but the precise nature of which wasn’t stated. On the basis that the Green Man company was a music festival, the assumption is going to be a music festival.
“They said that it would be three events per year with 3,000 people. We asked them, if that would be a fixed amount or could it increase year by year. They were not able to tell us if it was going to be fixed. In fairness, the Green Man company has said that they have no intention of moving the main festival at the moment.
"But I think we are worried that if there is an issue with the lease over at Glanusk Estate, and if this area is a possibility, that the main event could be moved over here. But that is not planned at the moment, as we gather.”
When asked about the main concerns of having events at the site, Mr Darbyshire said that Gilestone Farm was "probably one of the worst sites in Wales" for a festival venue. "It’s got nothing going for it at all," he added.
"First of all, it’s in the national park. It’s difficult I think to say that the big event like this is consistent with the ethos of the national park. The farm itself is on the floodplain of the Usk and it floods regularly - admittedly less so in the summer, but it’s a very different site to the Glanusk site.
"It has significant wildlife and environmental protection on it. The other thing to point out is that access to the farm is over a narrow bridge. On one side of the farm is the river, the other side is the canal - you’ve only got a very limited access to the site. It is likely that if they do develop it into a regular festival site then there has to be some kind of enabling work to some considerable extent."
He added: "The village is full of tourists in the summer, especially during the summer weekends, as it is. Our view is that it would be like having cruise ships coming, bringing a lot of profits for the owner, but not a lot in it for the village. There is going to be a lot of people, they are not going to spend a lot of money in the village, they are going to spend their money on the site, which is fine but we don’t have the capacity to cope with that."
In response a Welsh Government spokesperson said: "Green Man - one of five major independent festivals still running in the UK – is an annual event that makes a significant contribution to Wales’ economy. We want to harness the additional positive contribution of the festival to local businesses, the community and the Welsh economy.
"The Welsh Government purchased Gilestone Farm to support and grow the Green Man brand and establish a permanent base in Wales for their administrative headquarters and associated business ventures. There are no plans to start a new festival on the site.
"Gilestone Farm has a history of hosting two events annually of 1,500 capacity as well as a number of smaller gatherings. Any events that take place will be subject to the scrutiny and permissions of the relevant bodies.
"The full business plan is subject to robust due diligence processes and consultation with the local community. No final decision on the future of Gilestone Farm will be made until the due diligence process is complete."
A spokesperson for Green Man added: "The Welsh Government is currently going through a process of due diligence and no final decision has been made on Gilestone Farm, therefore it would be inappropriate for us to make any comment."
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