Plans for hot air balloon festival approved

Plans for an annual three-day hot air balloon festival in Leicester have been approved despite health and safety concerns from residents.

The event in Victoria Park would see about 30 hot air balloons take off daily between 19 and 21 June.

Leicester City Council's licensing committee has now granted permission for the event, which is expected to attract up to 10,000 visitors a day, following a hearing in February.

Residents have raised concerns the event would lead to health and safety issues but organisers said their experience of running similar events in Northampton, Doncaster and Enfield gives them confidence health and safety will not be an issue.

One resident wrote to the council and stated hot air balloon launches from city parks were "a health and safety nightmare" before they were banned.

"Balloons struggled to get upright without being blown over.

"More importantly, they didn't rise directly upwards but were blown at sometimes alarmingly low levels, clipping trees and leaving homeowners fearing for their chimneys," they added.

However, David Bailey, group director of Showtime Events, which is organising the festival, said: "We have been doing this for 10 years – they are very experienced pilots with 20 to 30 years [experience].

"We've never had an accident. They won't fly if they don't feel fit to."

The organisers have since decided to remove fireworks from the plans, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reports.

Mr Bailey added: "I want to work with the local people, not against them. I want people to be happy and come back here year on year.

"We want to bring this to your town and you to enjoy it."

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