Christmas carnival under starters orders
Carnival will take place at Newbury racecourse
The Christmas Carnival at Newbury Racecourse will go ahead.
The event, with big top shows, a fairground, ice rink and market, will run for 28 days.
West Berkshire Council approved the plans – despite many objections from people living at the racecourse claiming it would cause traffic problems, noise and antisocial behaviour.
Nearly 1,500 people signed a petition to support the carnival after initial plans for an annual event for five years at the racecourse were rejected.
The proposal was considered to be ‘a step too far’ and ‘ill thought out’ according to councillors, who felt the impact on residents at the racecourse was too much.
The new application was given the green light by council officers as fewer than ten objections to the new application were lodged.
It is for one event, which can only run for 28 days, including a market which can only run for 14 days.
But residents who have written in to the council to object say this is a stealth tactic to get the event run every year.
The Newbury Racecourse Estate Association said in its original objection that no consideration had been given to “the effect on their quality of life or on their multi-million-pound capital investment in their apartments”.
They further claimed the funfair, complete with Santa’s grotto and a mystery forest walk, will create noise and light pollution, causing sleep deprivation for at least 15 per cent of the year.
Further application
Organisers of the Christmas Carnival at Newbury Racecourse have revealed they have submitted a further application to the council – to run the event for an extra seven days .
The carnival got planning permission to go ahead on Tuesday this week, despite being rejected by West Berkshire councillors last year.
This latest decision grants permission for the Christmas Carnival to take place for a period of 28 days, with a Christmas market permitted to be open for 14 days.
But the racecourse and event organisers have put in another proposal which is currently going through the normal planning process at West Berkshire Council.
This application seeks approval to allow the Great Christmas Carnival to run for a longer period of 35 days, with the Christmas market open each day.
This application has seen the council lobbied by dozens of people both for and against the proposal.
Newbury Racecourse said:
“We do not believe that this limited opening maximises the benefits and opportunity potential for the Newbury community.
“We believe our current application strikes the right balance between bringing an exciting, new attraction to Newbury whilst still respecting the needs of immediate neighbours.
“If approved, the current application would deliver significant social and economic benefits for the local community and we hope for a positive outcome that reflects the support for such an event amongst local residents.”