Lytham Festival capacity increase approved - for three of the five nights

Fylde Council’s licensing panel accepted that coordinators of the event, which has gone from strength to strength and now attracts top music stars – work well with the various authorities and that the event brought benefits for Lytham.

However, the application for a new premise license to increase the capacity to 24,999 on each festival night from Wednesday to Sunday next year attracted opposition from a significant number of local people.

They raised concerns about parking issues, road congestion problems and a certain amount of anti-social behaviour from a minority of festival-goers after the concerts, including using gardens as toilets.

The decision allows the capacity for concert nights on the Wednesday and the Thursday to remain at the current size of 19,999, taking into account that local residents need to go about their working routines on those days.

However, the panel agreed to the application to increase the crowd capacity from 22,500 to 24,999 on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights – when the respective headliners will be the bands Courteeners, Madness and James – with a number of conditions, including a 10.30pm curfew on the Sunday.

The application was presented by Philip Kolvin KC – representing the applicant, Live Nation (Music) UK Ltd. Also attending were Phil Crier (PBC Licensing Solicitors), Daniel Cuffe, Joe Robinson and Peter Taylor on behalf of the applicant.

A statement from the panel read: “The balance that we strike is to grant the increase in capacity applied for so far as it relates to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, but not for any other day comprised in a festival.

"We consider that the present size of the festival represents the limit of the adverse impact that the local community should have to accept on days when many need to get home from work and prepare to work the following day.

"The mitigations that the applicants have put in place are welcome and generally effective.

"But mitigations can only go so far to lessen the impact of a very substantial event on a relatively small community.

“That is why an increase to 25,000 for each night, would in our judgment, be a step too far.

"We hope that our decision will ensure that residents are not further disrupted or inconvenienced any more than already experienced on week nights.”

Hozier is the other headlining act already announced for the 2024 Lytham Festival, topping the bill on the event’s opening night Wednesday, July 3. An announcement of the Thursday headliner is still awaited.

A spokesman for Cuffe and Taylor said: “We note the comments from the licensing panel and will respond appropriately in due course."

Fylde Council has also announced a trial park and ride scheme for the 2024 Lytham Festival in a bid to help with traffic flow.

The agreement by the council’s Executive Committee to grant additional car parking at land on South Promenade, St Annes, adjacent to Fairhaven Road car park is for a one-year trial, to determine if park and ride facilities would further help tackle congestion in Lytham town centre and ease people’s exit from the Festival site after the performances.

Fylde Council leader Coun Karen Buckley said: “The most common concerns raised about Lytham Festival from residents are in relation to traffic because of the volume of visitors driving to the event. While extra buses and trains are scheduled during the five-day event, these will only go so far in persuading people to leave their cars at home.

“Further measures have been identified to provide more parking and to pilot a park and ride from St Annes by making land available next to the Fairhaven Road car park which was recently used as overflow parking during the Kite Festival.”

Lytham Festival, which initially began as Lytham Proms for one night in 2010, has grown to the biggest such event in Lancashire in the years since.

Up until 2022, capacity at the venue on Lytham Green was set at a maximum 19,999 by Fylde Council.

Promoters Cuffe and Taylor last year prepared an initial application for an increase to 29,999 for this year’s festival but after it attracted some opposition, they modified their proposal to a maximum of 22,500 on the Friday and Sunday of the festival in 2023, with the other nights this year remaining at 19,999, and the capacity on all days of the festival from 2024 onwards 24,999.

The council agreed to the increase to 22,500 to be trailed 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.

The council has also imposed a condition that Cuffe and Taylor should assist in setting up a community liaison group with a remit to facilitate discussion between the promoters and the local community about the festival.

The new record high was reached on the Friday of this year’s Festival, when Sting topped the bill and Police Supt Chris Hardy, Lancashire Police’s Blackpool and Fylde Operations Manager, reported to the Fylde licensing committee: “The increase in the license number for 2023 caused no significant policing and or public safety concerns.

“Incident wise, the Police dealt with 31 incidents related to Lytham Festival over the five days – this is not a significant number when considered in excess of 90,000 people attended the Festival. “Over the five days there were a total of 11 arrests for offences ranging from drunk and disorderly, drink driving, public order, domestic violence, and sexual assault.”

Suzanne Taylor, chairman of the Lytham Business Partnership, said of the panel decision: “We welcome the Fylde Council licensing decision for Lytham Festival.

“We are competing with other towns who would dearly love to have this wonderful five-day event of first class shows in their calendar, and we are keen to keep the economic benefit and the joy of the event right here in Lytham.

“Lytham Business Partnership has every confidence in Cuffe and Taylor’s management of the event. We have a seat on the community forum and have witnessed the painstaking attention to detail to get things right for festival goers, businesses and residents. In fact, local residents are likely to be reached by ambulance quickest on Festival days as area controllers are based at the Festival command centre.

“The dynamic fleet of buses laid on this year were a key part of the very efficient egress of crowds from the town at the end of the night, and the park and ride initiative for next year is another example of the organisers’ endeavours to achieve the swift and safe dispersal of festival goers.”

Lytham Festival 2024 runs from July 3 to 7 and full details of the line-ups and tickets are at www.lythamfestival.com