Boardmasters decibel rise and extra day approved

Boardmasters festival will be allowed to increase sound levels and have a fourth day of live music after a committee ruling.

Organisers of Cornwall's largest festival applied for a renewed premises licence which included a bid to raise decibel levels as well as adding Thursday to the run of live music days.

The festival, which has traditionally run from Friday to Sunday, had its application brought before a Cornwall Council licensing committee on Wednesday.

Festival director Rob Spring said the changes were needed to ensure the "customer experience is at levels expected of major international festivals, without creating a nuisance for neighbours".

A number of speakers aired their concerns about the increase in sound levels.

They included representatives of Newquay Town Council, Colan parish councillor John Fitter and Cllr Rowland O'Connor, who represents the area at Cornwall Council, and Abby and Richard Paull, of neighbouring 27-acre Treloy Touring Park.

Mrs Paull said that guests staying at the holiday park can be affected by "night-time disturbance" from Boardmasters.

She said: "Each year we receive complaints from guests about late night music, sleep disruption and children being unable to settle."

The couple fear the proposed increase in decibels and an extra day of live music will only add to the complaints.

The committee approved the premises licence with a number of conditions.

These included ensuring any music between 01:00 and 04:00 GMT on Thursdays to Saturdays, and on Sundays from 23:45 to 04:00 GMT, should not be readily audible at monitoring locations, which will be chosen following consultation.

The committee noted Boardmasters' comprehensive event management plan, public engagement and that the council had received very few complaints in relation to the festival in the last three years.

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