Boardmasters noise level plans cause concern

Business owners and residents near the site of Cornwall's largest music festival have raised concerns about plans to increase noise levels.

Organisers of the five-day Boardmasters event, held in Newquay from 5 to 9 August, applied to raise decibel limits and extend full live performances to an extra day.

The application seeks to increase sound limits before 23:00 from 60 to 65 decibels and from 50 to 55 decibels between 23:00 and 01:00 from Thursday to Sunday. Organisers also requested permission to operate until 04:00, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Festival director Rob Spring said the changes were needed to keep the event "competitive and comparative".

Hotel owners, councillors and residents have objected to the plans and warned they could increase disturbance.

Will Ashworth, founder of Watergate Bay Hotel and SeaSpace, said raising levels to 65 decibels would represent "a very significant additional level of sound" that would impact businesses, campsites and residents.

"Surely the onus should be on Boardmasters to arrange their acts and timings more effectively rather than solving the problem by impacting residents?" he said.

Newquay Town Council said the changes were "highly likely to increase the noise nuisance generated by the festival" while Cornwall councillors and parish representatives also raised objections.

Resident Leah Steward told the council the current music levels had already caused "a significant public nuisance".

Abby and Richard Paull, who run Treloy Touring Park, said the proposals would reduce opportunities for guests to sleep and did "not reflect best practice or national guidance for festivals of this scale".

Festival organisers said the proposed limit was "an upper band, not a target" and there was "no scenario" in which levels would be intentionally increased to cause unreasonable disturbance.

A Cornwall Council licensing sub-committee is due to consider the application on Wednesday.

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