Councillors will decide whether to allow a festival in Fradley to go ahead next year.
Wibbly Woods, which takes place in Fradley Woods, which features music, dance and arts, and is scheduled to take place from 25th to 28th July next year.
A Temporary Event Notice has been applied for with organisers seeking permission for music to be played from 2pm until 4am during the event, with a bar also open during this window.
But in an objection letter, Lichfield District Council’s environmental protection officer, Jennifer Whittle, said there were concerns once again over noise.
“The first Wibbly Woods event took place in 2021 – we had concerns about the event due to the proximity to residential properties, the early morning finish time of 4am and the event running over several nights.
“As it was the first event we did not object and instead undertook monitoring. The results of the event were that it was very loud and we received multiple complaints from local residents, as well as residents 1.4 miles away as the crow flies.
“The event organiser at the time was advised that any future events of this nature would be objected to on the basis of the findings from the monitoring that had taken place.
“Due to an oversight within the Environmental Protection team, the objection to the 2022 event did not get copied to the event organiser or the Police Licensing team and as a result it was considered invalid. The event was therefore permitted to go ahead.
“Noise levels during the 2022 event were excessive. On one night in 2022 the noise was audible in Elmhurst, some 1.6 miles from the event and at such a level the tune being played was identifiable. We again received numerous complaints from residents in the area, including complaints from Wychnor and Alrewas.
“The event organiser was once again advised that future events would be objected to and it was hoped that the event would be moved to a more appropriate location or time.”
Jennifer Whittle, Lichfield District Council
The officer said concerns had also been raised over the 2023 iteration of the event.
“We objected to the Temporary Event Notice for the event this year, where it ran until 4am. This was heard by the licensing committee who determined that such an event would undermine the licensing objective and should not take place. This was then appealed to the Magistrates’ Court, who upheld licensing committee’s decision.
“A further notice was applied for an event in 2023, where the event would run until midnight. An objection to this event was made by the Environmental Protection team and the licensing committee allowed the licensable activities to go ahead.
“Monitoring of the 2023 event took place and we found that the music exceeded the licensable hours applied for. The first night, where music should have stopped at 11pm, it continued until after midnight.
“The organisers were emailed on the Friday, reminding them of their responsibilities and our options for enforcement action. Despite being contacted, music on the Friday and Saturday night – where it should have stopped at midnight – continued until 2am, exceeding the times allowed by the Temporary Event Notice.
“It is my belief that this event will undermine the licensing objective of Prevention of Public Nuisance.”
Jennifer Whittle, Lichfield District Council
“Technology is in place to limit noise levels”
In an application for the 2024 event, organisers Wibbly Ltd, said the event would be “tucked away” within the woodland area.
“This event will be fully restricted to allow only the ticket holders, organisers, security, first aid and performers access.
“We are using a ticketing platform so the security team can monitor who has and hasn’t bought a ticket. To help with this, we will surround the area with fencing which will be constantly monitored by security.
“Technology is in place to limit noise levels. We have a variety of acts coming to perform across two stages with all the sound systems being fitted with DSP amplifiers, digital mixers and monitored by sound engineers to allow us to adjust the sound to keep the volume within the recommended level.”
Wibbly Ltd’s Temporary Event Notice application
A decision on the festival will be made by Lichfield District Council’s licensing and consents appeals committee on Thursday (31st August).
