A HEARING to decide whether a small music festival can go ahead in the Gwent countryside could have to be rearranged after closing in under 10 minutes.
Two police officers and a barrister representing Gwent Police attended the hearing at Monmouthshire County Hall, in Usk, which closed just minutes after opening when the applicant asked to resubmit their plans.
They had applied for an event notice to stage a music festival, expected to draw some 200 to 300 people to Old Castle Court Farm at Crucorney near Pandy north of Abergavenny, where there would also be camping.
Gem Fest has been staged, since 2023, in Herefordshire and no issues reported to the local police or council for the event which was granted a temporary event notice and a premises licence last year.
Sam Southan, one of four organisers, applied to stage the festival from Friday, June 13 to Sunday, June 15 this year with live music and alcohol and sales until 4am on the Saturday and Sunday mornings, though all activities would have finished at 12 am on the Sunday, with no licensable activities past 0.00 hours on Monday, June 16.
Monmouthshire County Council’s environmental health department objected as it said no site plan had been provided and it was concerned about potential noise with houses within 500 metres of the field.
Environmental health officer Huw Owen also said no information on noise levels, mitigations or the “intended music type” had been provided. His objection said there is “clearly the potential for disturbance from music during late night hours and a breach of licensing objective the ‘prevention of public nuisance’.”
Gwent Police said no plans or risk assessments it would expect for an event over multiple days had been provided and also objected.
When council licensing officer Linda O’Gorman asked Mr Southan, who attended the meeting remotely with fellow organiser Sam Morgan, if he was happy to go ahead without legal representation he asked for the chance to resubmit the application.
Mr Southan said: “Previously in Herefordshire they’ve always been more casual meetings. I think we’ve misunderstood how formal this would be.”
He apologised for the confusion and asked if he could resubmit the application to avoid “wasting anyone’s time”, which was accepted.
Ms O’Gorman said it would have been “helpful” had the applicants stated that before the hearing, which also involved a panel of three county councillors, two licensing officers, the environmental heath officer and the council solicitor had been arranged.
She said the notice sent to applicants stated it was a “hearing” and there is a right to legal representation.