Christmas carnival at Newbury racecourse rejected
West Berkshire councillors say no to six-week event
Last updated 2nd Sep 2021
Plans for a Christmas carnival at Newbury Racecourse this year have been rejected by West Berkshire Council.
Racecourse residents won the day after mass objections to the fun fair, big top and ice rink were lodged, saying they did not want a ‘thump, thump, thump’ and vibrating sound daily for six weeks.
The proposal was considered to be ‘a step too far’ and ‘ill thought out’ according to councilors who felt the impact on residents at the racecourse was too much.
Carruthers Court Racecourse resident Sarah Woolmer spoke up against the proposal, saying that litter and vermin would result from food stalls. “I sincerely ask that the committee takes the views of the residents and the mental stress on them.”
Another resident, Michael Suppo, told the committee he had lost the sale of his flat after a prospective buyer read about the carnival in the Newbury Weekly News and pulled out, fearing such events may become more commonplace at the site and it would affect their quality of life.
Last night’s unanimous decision by councillors on the western area planning committee went against their own officers’ recommendation to approve it.
They rejected the one-year temporary licence on the grounds of noise, including that created by generators running for 24 hours to keep the ice rink frozen.
The other main reason for kicking the proposal out was traffic management, with the proposed use of the Stroud Green entrance for up to 6,000 cars a day, many from out of town, proving a major sticking point.
“This event would be for the enjoyment of people not from Newbury at the expense of race course residents,” said Phil Barnett (Lib Dem, Newbury Greenham). “Access would be better by the bridge, away from the residents.”
Racecourse chief executive Julian Thick also presented to the committee, arguing that big events were core to the economic development of the site and the town.
“We have spent £30m on improving the site,” he said. “We want to do things right but we also have to survive as a business.
“This event is a key plank in building up our business post Covid. We have been working on this for 2.5 years.
“There is a massive gap in market for family events like this, and our market research has been overwhelmingly positive for it.”
He added that Underbelly, the event’s producer, runs high-quality events. “It is a feather in the town’s cap that they want to work with us,” he said. “It will be popular and will deliver benefits for the town and the racecourse.”
The initial five-year proposal was trimmed down to a one-year temporary licence proposal on the grounds that officers and event organisers would monitor sound and traffic levels which would then inform any future bid for an annual event.