Creamfields deny planning to extend festival

ORGANISERS of the controversial Creamfields festival claim they are NOT planning to extend the length of the event.
In a letter to Warrington councillor Paul Kennedy, CI Events say they want to open the showground at Stretton a day earlier than in previous years to spread the traffic arriving at the site over two days to minimise disruption on local roads.
Cllr Kennedy, who represents the Hatton, Stretton and Walton ward on the borough council has been contacted b y a number of residents worried at the news that CI events are seeking permission to start the August Bank Holiday event on Thursday instead of Friday.
They fear they are likely to have to experience inconvenience and disturbance for an additional day.
Cllr Kennedy (pictured) said residents were right to be concerned.
“Slowly but sure the event is getting ever longer. As I recall, the event originally opened on a Saturday morning and closed on the Monday morning.
“Then, since festival goers were turning up on the Friday, the event extended to the Friday, and now, presumably because festival goers are turning up on a Thursday, the licence request is to open the site from 6am on the Thursday and to commence the entertainment at 5pm.
“lf the licence is granted, the site will then be open to the public from 6am on the Thursday to 2pm on the Monday.
“I and local residents are asking for clarity and honesty from Cl Events  as to what is their ultimate plan for this event.
“Is it that they want a week-long event? And will we have the situation that once the Thursday opening comes in to effect, festival goers will arrive on the Wednesday…and Cl Events will seek a licence to open on the Wednesday, and so it goes on?
“lf Cl Events want a week-long festival, they should make such an application now.”
A spokesman for the organisers said they had no intention of extending the festival either into the Wednesday, nor into a week-long event.
“The main purpose of seeking the extension into Thursday, which is stated in the application, is to spread ingress into the event over two days to relieve p[ressure on the road network on the Friday.”
Part of the festival site lies within the Hatton, Stretton and Walton ward and noise from the event is regularly heard over a wide area of South Warrington.