The future of a Reading music festival will be decided by the council next week after noise, disorder and drug abuse concerns.

Stories In The Park is planned to take place at Palmer Park in June and September this year, with a licensing hearing taking place next Tuesday (May 12) to determine whether these events will go ahead.

The June event, which has Chase and Status booked as headliners, is unlikely to take place regardless of the licensing decision due to coronavirus restrictions.

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The September festival is also likely to be affected by coronavirus social distancing measures.

Organisers Events Leisure Ltd, known locally as Entourage Project, run events across the town and debuted the festival last September, with Australian DJ Sonny Fodera headlining.

Sarah Gardner, community relations manager at UoR, and Molli Cleaver, RUSU president, criticised the organisers in a joint letter.

The UoR and RUSU spokesmen said they have received complaints from local residents about noise, anti-social behaviour and disorder during and in the aftermath of events run by Entourage Project.

Ms Gardner and Ms Cleaver also raised concern about excessive alcohol consumption and drug misuse and the safety of those leaving events and suggested street wardens should have been employed by the organisers.

They said they have worked hard to improve relations between residents and students and to reduce alcohol harm, adding:  “We are concerned that events like the one EP plans in June 2020 may undermine this hard work”.

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Since 2018, the university has operated a street marshal scheme, at a cost of around £80,000 per year, to reduce public nuisance in residential areas.

The university has also been working closely with RBC and other partners to create a University Community Alcohol Partnership to reduce the harm of alcohol use among young people.

Local resident Ms Kemp said: “Despite assurances from their sound engineers, I found the event to be unnecessarily loud.

“Obviously, now at this time of lockdown, surely this event has been cancelled for both June and September? I strongly object to it going ahead this year.”

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Environmental Health officer Rebecca Moon said she would approve of the plan if sound levels are limited to 65 decibels but Entourage Project have rejected this idea.

RBC and Thames Valley Police have recommended 29 conditions for the licence, with Entourage Project agreeing to all but the one regarding noise levels.

The noise limits last year were between 65 and 71db for last year’s event.

Some of the conditions the organisers have agreed to include:

  • Employing a customer welfare officer to circulate the venue monitoring standards of behaviour and levels of alcohol consumption
  • Appointing a suitably qualified and experienced noise control consultant
  • Noise tests prior to events
  • Operation of nuisance hotline

If approved at next week’s virtual licensing hearing, the event would be able to take place for eight days per calendar year, with four days in both June and September.