Decision due on Settle Festival

A two-day licensing hearing has been held and the decision will be one of the biggest the committee has ever made.

Organiser Mark Dale wants to hold the Settle Festival in fields off the A65 between Rathmell and Giggleswick.

The main events are planned for Friday, August 29, to Sunday, August 31.

But there would be additional music, dance performances and workshops and a licensed bar is wanted between Thursday, August 28, and Monday, September 1.

The Thursday and Monday are planned as low-level "lead in, lead out" days.

Refreshments would be available 24 hours a day over the five days.

Mr Dale is applying for a licence to begin on August 14 to allow additional time to set up the infrastructure.

But what was understood to have been an application for an annual festival has turned into an application for a one-off event. Mr Dale filled in the forms wrongly so, if granted, the licence will only apply to one event. More festivals would need further applications.

Plans for a festival were first mooted in 2006 by Mr Dale, who is head chef at Malham Tarn Field Centre and has many years' experience of hospitality and music/arts events. He dreamed of a popular, family-orientated event in the district which he claimed would benefit the local economy.

Last year's event was shelved after objections meant there would not be time to go through an appeal system, book bands and acts and then advertise the event properly.

Organisers decided, instead, to lodge a second application for this summer.

Craven District Council's licensing committee, which is determining the application, has said it is looking at a "chicken and egg" situation.

Committee chairman Coun Robert Heseltine told the hearing: "We are expected to look at all the aspects for determining a licence, even though we don't yet know who is expected to attend."

The committee has to look at four licensing objectives: prevention of crime and disorder; public safety; prevention of public nuisance and protection of children from harm.

"If we don't know which acts will be there, we don't know what age groups are likely to want to go," said Coun Heseltine.

Mr Dale said it was difficult to specify acts because agents did not want to sign up bands before a licence was granted.

He says the event is not another "Glastonbury". He wants to attract families with young children, but also appeal to all ages.

"Bands we are currently in talks with include New Model Army, Seth Lakeman, Embrace, The Beat, Levellers, Blue Tones, Tom Hingley (Inspiral Carpets), Bashphelt (local), Moishe's Bagel (Rathmell family musician), Dennis Rollins Badbone & Co (trombonist with Jamiroquai) and many others," he said.

"Plus we are offering the opportunity to showcase the talents of many local bands. Madness, UB40 or Status Quo are all possibilities, but nothing is booked. We are waiting for the licence result."

The festival team states it is committed to working with the licensing department and all authorities to "produce a safe event with minimal impact on the local area. At the same time it will deliver a friendly, community event for all with long-lasting local and regional benefits".

They say they are "engaging some of the UK's biggest and best event specialists" to provide expertise in areas such as security and marshalling. "And there is the opportunity for local people to work alongside so as to increase their skills," said Mr Dale.

The event would include a healing area with aromatherapy and massage, sauna, spa and showers, plus a funfair, market stalls selling crafts and festival camping essentials and local food.

On-site camping and caravanning would be available and encouraged. Camping would be free with a weekend ticket, as would transport from Giggleswick and Settle stations.

"Throughout the event there will be workshops involving people in music, art and circus skills," said Mr Dale. "The site will be a melee of colour, art, fun, enchantment, music, amazement and escape from the hum-drum.

"Local charities and community groups can get involved with an aim to furthering their causes.

"Local businesses will be given preference for the supply of the infrastructure and concessions and we are developing training packages with Tyro Training and links with Craven College and local schools in order for them to assist and get involved."

While many people have objected, others have backed Mr Dale.

Diane Dean, of Wigglesworth, a senior manager with a local holiday company, stated in a letter: "The concept of the proposed event flows directly from a local initiative aimed at regenerating and attracting visitors and business to the Settle area through the Settle renaissance vision, known as StART.

"The event aligns fully with both Craven District Council's corporate plan and community strategy as well as the district's economic development strategy.

"An event such as this, particularly when nothing similar has taken place previously, inevitably raises concerns, but we have been extremely impressed at the level of consultation with local communities and other organisations."

Mr and Mrs C Gavaghan, of Station Road, Giggleswick, said: "Hopefully, the event will bring some much-needed vitality and visitors into the area and provide opportunities for local businesses and community groups to get involved, as well as providing opportunities for local young people to showcase their artistic and musical talents."

Stacey Newhouse, of Horton-in-Ribblesdale, wrote: "As a local resident who has lived in the local area all their life, I was very disappointed the festival was cancelled last year so I look forward to being able to, hopefully, participate this year in some way.

"The young people in this area, especially in Settle, have a small number of events and activities in which they have the chance to actively participate in order to directly benefit the area and the community. This event would provide this much-needed opportunity to local people who wish to give something back to the area."

Chris Leech, a community youth liaison manager with train operator Northern Rail, said they saw the festival as an opportunity to get among young people and educate them against crime, particularly on the railways.

The company was willing to operate a shuttle service and extra rail services. He said British Transport Police "back this festival 100 per cent and have said they will support any initiative put in place by North Yorkshire Police"

They are willing to use "Operation Shield" at Leeds Station and elsewhere festival-goers will pass through. This incorporates a mobile metal detector and drug dogs.

North Yorkshire Police say they want to work co-operatively with the festival team in the spirit of partnership. But as a responsible authority, the police say, they have a duty to protect the public.

Superintendent Glyn Payne, operations commander with North Yorkshire Police, listed a number of concerns.

"There is always the potential for a large number of people to arrive without tickets, so how is that going to be dealt with?" he asked Mr Dale. Mr Dale said there would be no tickets for sale "on the gate"; they would be sold prior to the event. Tickets would not be on sale during the event.

Supt Payne queried arrangements for lost property. Mr Dale said there would be a designated "lost and found" area where items would be kept safe. Medicines would be kept in safe storage for people.

Large items, such as an abandoned vehicle, would be reported to police and, on their advice, would be moved to a secure area if necessary.

In answer to Supt Payne's questions about crime and disorder, Mr Dale said they would employ a security company with 25 years' experience which, together with marshals, would monitor the crowds and have the power to eject people if necessary.

He said festival-goers would be issued with non-removable wristbands which would identify their age group in relation to drinking laws.

He agreed the festival would pay for any necessary additional police resources, although Supt Payne said these needed to be worked out when it was known what age groups would be expected. These may include a prison bus to detain potential offenders.

Supt Payne's other major concern was glass on the site, which Mr Dale said would not be allowed.

Mr Dale agreed a mobile security arch could be erected at entrances to look for knives, and security staff would be vigilant in spotting people likely to be carrying drugs or who may cause trouble. Hand-held metal scanners would be used as an aid to security.

A wireless CCTV camera system would be installed to monitor the crowds and would also help combat gatecrashers.

Supt Payne also said he felt £5 million public liability insurance was not adequate and suggested a higher value be added to conditions should the licence be granted.

Coun Heseltine was also concerned about glass and suggested drystone walls around the site could be demolished and used as missiles. Mr Dale said the security company was skilled in checking crowd behaviour and such activity would not be tolerated.

The festival team would be willing to erect lighting on site and at the point where traffic leaves the A65 to go under the railway. It would prepare a road traffic order to control traffic and stewards would be placed in nearby Rathmell to direct people if they "got lost".

Supt Payne told the hearing: "There is a great deal of work to do before we are happy. As we have said before, we are happy to work with Mr Dale with a view to making sure all concerns are dealt with."

Other major issues surrounding traffic management were raised by objectors, including Giggleswick resident Dr Tony Stevens.

He said increased traffic along the A65 and a planned traffic light management system would cause gridlock within minutes. He said there was severe risk of people wandering to the River Ribble which could prove fatal.

Mr Dale said the river would be fenced off and a request for people to remain within the site was to be included in a code of conduct printed on tickets. Culverts were to be fenced off or made safe and the presence of the Cave Rescue Organisation on the site would provide an additional safety measure.

Roger Moss, whose property is close to the north of the site, said he would be greatly inconvenienced by noise, while Philip Mills, also of Giggleswick, said he was concerned that the stewards had no legal authority at all.

"How are local people to be protected?" he asked. "I would ask the committee to make sure that, if they grant this licence, adequate provision to protect visitors and residents be included in conditions."

Rathmell resident Peggy Hewitt said: "These sort of events attract people with criminal tendencies at a rate of around three per cent. Three per cent of an estimated 20,000 festival-goers is 600 people a day. This could be a potential danger to residents and some of them could even end up in my back garden."

Gill Coventry, of Lower Wham, Giggleswick, said torture from noise and sleep deprivation during the festival affected her human rights.

Under its guidelines, the licensing panel should make a decision by Wednesday.