East Herts District Council has today granted a premises licence for the Stone Valley South Festival, which is due to open this Friday (24 May 2019).

According to Cornerstone Barristers reporting on the case, the application for a premises licence was “fiercely” contested by Great Amwell Parish Council and residents in the neighbouring village of Stansted St Margarets. Their objections were principally concerned with noise nuisance and traffic congestion on the local road network.

By the time of the hearing, the police and environmental health objections had been resolved - subject to approval of a traffic management plan in the next few days.

However, the residents maintained their numerous objections. They urged the sub-committee to conclude that their village was simply not an appropriate location for an event of this scale and accused the applicant of being "dishonest" and of holding the licensing system in contempt.

The sub-committee disagreed. In granting a premises licence, they stated that they were satisfied that the conditions would ensure that the festival could proceed without undermining the licensing objectives. They rejected emphatically the suggestion that, in making their decision so close to the planned opening date, they were under any pressure to decide in the applicant's favour.

Matt Lewin from Cornerstone Barristers represented the applicant, Wannasee Ltd.