Three-day dance music festival on farm north of Bristol fails in bid for licence

Police and environmental health objected after residents' complaints

Councillors have pulled the plug on a three-day dance music festival on a farm near hundreds of homes following objections from the police and environmental health.

South Gloucestershire Council licensing sub-committee refused the application for Goa Cream Festival to go ahead on the edge of Thornbury after neighbours described it as 'almost inhumane and a form of torture' from relentless heavy bass thudding through their homes and scaring children.

Organisers had hoped to hold the event for the third year running at Yewtree Farm in Old Gloucester Road from Friday to Sunday, September 12-14.

But councillors agreed with Avon & Somerset Police and the council’s environmental health team that locals’ lives would be made a misery and issued a counter-notice banning it from happening.

Environmental health officer Florence Fisher told the hearing that last year’s festival sparked 11 complaints from locals, with one person saying it gave them a headache all weekend and others stating that the music made their houses and windows shake.

She said: “The main thing is the nature of the music which is really heavy bass and it goes on for hours and hours and is something people can’t escape from.

Sign up to receive daily news updates and breaking news alerts straight to your inbox for free here

“The low frequency aspect of the noise is what really travels.”

Ms Fisher said the council department imposed some conditions for the 2024 event but when officers asked afterwards for evidence of noise monitoring, they were given only 'numbers scribbled on pieces of paper' and insufficient screenshots of the equipment’s readings.

She said: “We’d asked for the monitoring to take place over a 15-minute period but some of them were two seconds. It just wasn’t complete at all.

“We didn't feel the evidence we were given post-festival made us feel very comfortable and have trust in the running of the festival adequately and for the noise to be monitored.”

Police licensing officer Wes Hussey read out a complaint from a neighbour to the force after last year which said the extremely loud noise had a “profound effect” on him and his family.

Mr Hussey said it was unfair and unreasonable for residents to have to endure so much disruption for the whole weekend, with the proposed music and alcohol sales going on until 1am on Friday and Saturday and 10pm on Sunday, and that it could lead to confrontation.

He said the on-site bars would be open for 15 hours on Saturday, from 10am to 1am, and that this could result in assaults, disorder, antisocial behaviour and theft.

Mr Hussey told the meeting: “We’re not the fun police, we’re not trying to stop people having fun, enjoying themselves and making a living but we also have to see the other side where we had that quite compelling letter from that member of the public.

“It obviously affected his and his family’s life quite severely.”

Goa Cream organiser Piers Ciappara told the sub-committee that it was a small festival for charity raising money for Bristol Suicide Prevention and Sharpness lifeboat station and attracted a mature audience with an average age over 40, with many bringing their children.

He said the speakers were directed towards the M5 and A38 last year where there was a lot of background noise anyway and that they could be reoriented to point further away from homes.

Mr Ciappara said they did their own noise monitoring in 2024 but had now contracted a professional sound acoustic engineer to do that, which would be much more professional and ensure noise limits were adhered to.

He said: “Last year we only had handwritten notes and photographs because the week after the event my colleague who had the sound system had a bad accident – he nearly chopped his hand off cutting the grass so he couldn’t put a spreadsheet together – but this year we have a professional team with us.”

Mr Ciappara said he would agree to reduce alcohol sales to 12pm to 12am on Friday and Saturday and midday to 10pm on Sunday if the temporary event notice (TEN) application was approved.

But announcing the decision, panel chairman Cllr Alex Doyle ( Labour, Filton) said: “The sub-committee concluded that this site is not suitable for such an event and that it would have a detrimental impact on nearby residential properties due to the noise and did not consider that sufficient mitigation had been provided that would promote the licensing objectives.

“The sub-committee therefore resolves that the TEN as applied for be rejected and a counter-notice be issued to prevent the event going ahead.”

The applicant can appeal to the magistrates court within 21 days.