The decision notice for the granting of the new Premises Licence for Lytham Festival Event Site has been shared. This matter was discussed by the Fylde Council Licensing Committee on the 26th April 2023.

The official notice says that the application from Live Nation (Music) UK Ltd prompted 145 representations from “other persons”, of which 71 were opposed to the application. As a result, the applicants modified their application them by being willing to accept a condition that would limit the maximum number of people who could attend the festival to the following:

• Friday and Sunday of the festival in 2023: 22,500
• Other days of the festival in 2023: 19,999
• All days of the festival from 2024 onwards: 24,999

The Decision Notice says: ‘It became clear during the hearing that the major concerns of the majority of those who objected to the application were not what went on within the festival site during the time the festival was held, but the impact on the community of Lytham of such a large number of people arriving for the festival, accessing it and leaving it. Objections highlighted issues around car parking, access to residential streets, the use of public spaces and private gardens as toilets and, in general, the impact of the festival on the day to day lives of local people and on some local businesses.’

The Notice says that the Licencing Committee understands those concerns. They add that ‘Lytham is a small town, with a population in the region of 9,000. Even without the increased capacity that the application seeks, during the festival there can be twice as many people in Lytham who are attending the festival as people who live there.’

The Licencing Committee Decision is ‘To grant the licence as applied for, subject to the mandatory conditions, conditions reflecting the operating schedule, and the following conditions:

• A condition that the maximum number of attendees at the festival at any one time is limited to 19,999, except for Friday 30 June 2023 and Sunday 2 July 2023, when the maximum will be 22,500, unless (for any date) the SAG recommends that the maximum number should be lower.
• A condition that the applicant should assist in setting up a community liaison group whose remit will be to facilitate discussion between the applicant and the local community about the festival, which will be coordinated by Fylde Borough Council or such other person or body as the Council approves, and which will comprise such representatives of the local community in Lytham and a senior responsible representative of the applicant.
• We feel that it would be appropriate for the increase to 22,500 to be trialed during 2023, so that the decision on any further application for a permanent increase could be informed by the real -life experience of the two nights in 2023 to which the increase applies.’

Appeals as a consequence of this decision under the Licensing Act 2003 may be made.

Any appeal must be commenced by notice of appeal given by the appellant to the Justices Chief Executive for the Magistrates Court within the period of 21 days beginning with the day on which the appellant was notified by the licensing authority of the decision appealed against.  The Magistrates Court for this area is located at Civic Centre, Chapel Street, Blackpool, Lancashire FY1 5RH.

Meanwhile, Lytham Festival co-founders Daniel Cuffe and Peter Taylor issued this statement: ‘We welcome the decision by the licensing committee to approve our request for an increase in capacity for two nights this year and we look forward to a successful Lytham Festival 2023. As we plan for the future we will continue discussions with Fylde Borough Council and the relevant authorities. During the licensing hearing we suggested launching a Lytham Festival Community Focus Group to provide a direct line of communication between local residents, the business community and ourselves as event organisers. Full details of this have now been announced and applications from members of the public are welcome.’