A BID to secure a permanent licence for a music festival is set to go before Lewes councillors later this week. 

On Friday a Lewes District Council licensing panel is set to consider an application from the organisers of Lewes Music Festival, who hope to bring the event back for a second year in May 2023. 

The licence would allow festival organisers to serve alcohol and play music at the Stanley Turner Recreational Ground on a single weekend each year. It would effectively be a reoccurring licence for future events. 

The 2022 festival was a one-day event, however the licence being sought would allow organisers to operate over two days each year. If successful in its application, the festival would be licensed to serve alcohol from 11am to 11pm on the Saturday and from 11am until 8pm on the Sunday. 

However, it is unclear if organisers intend to use this second day next year and tickets currently on sale list only one day — May 27, 2023.

In their correspondence with Sussex Police, organisers also spoke of plans to hold a second event in September next year. This has also seen concerns raised by residents.

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As with the 2022 event, the festival is expected to combine a music festival with a Rugby 7s tournament. The rugby tournament would take place in the morning, followed by the music festival later in the day. 

While no objections have been raised by professional bodies such as Sussex Police, the application has seen concerns raised by several local residents. 

The objectors’ concerns are largely around noise from the festival, which they argued had been ‘excessive’ during the 2022 event.

One objector, whose name has been redacted in council papers, said: “The amplified music at the same event held on 28 May 2022 was excessive and caused unacceptable noise nuisance, which we have already complained about to Lewes District Council.

“A festival in 2023 over two days with a possible further event in the autumn would be intolerable and force us out of our house for its duration.”

They added: “A mitigation plan to avoid noise nuisance that relies on facing speakers away from houses and for the prevailing winds to drive all of the noise over the open fields beyond is not fit for purpose. 

“The event held on 28 May 2022 demonstrated that there is no technical foundation to support what the application purports to deliver.”

Both objectors and the applicants will have the opportunity to share their views during the hearing, after which councillors will give their decision.