Four-day music festival refused licence by council

A four-day music festival has been refused a premises licence.

The Ramroot Festival was due to be held at Arena UK in Allington, near Grantham, Lincolnshire, from 4 to 7 July.

A line-up of more than 75 artists including headliners Gentleman's Dub Club, Mungo's Hi Fi, The Skints, and Fabio and Grooverider had been planned for the drum and bass, reggae, dub, folk and psychedelic music event.

However, South Kesteven District Council turned down an application from the organiser citing concerns over a lack of fencing around the site and alcohol use.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), nearly 400 tickets have been sold and the organiser said he was expecting up to 1,500 people to attend.

During a committee meeting on Tuesday, councillors raised concerns over traffic and security when they were told the event would take place across two 30-acre fields.

Niall Walker, 25, from Lovis Media Ltd, told them he was not expecting significant congestion as many revellers were likely to travel via public transport, arriving at Grantham Railway Station and using a shuttle bus to reach the site.

He also explained there would be a minimum of 10 security staff on site during between 09:00 BST and midnight, with numbers dropping by four during quieter hours.

Mr Walker said if successful, he hoped the festival would become an annual event.

"There are a lot of festivals struggling at the moment, it's a very difficult industry.

"I know a lot of people whose favourite festivals have just been cancelled and we'd love to help create a new home for those people."

The committee rejected the application due to concerns over the lack of fencing around the site, which could allow an unknown number of people to enter, and worries about the level of alcohol being brought onto the site, the LDRS reported.

Mr Walker declined to comment on the future of the festival following the committee's decision.

He has 21 days to appeal against the licence refusal.

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