Dinton Pastures country park in Hurst has been granted conditional approval for a premises licence to sell alcohol, have live music, host performances and show films from 10am to 11pm each day.
The 335-acre park is managed by Wokingham Borough Council, which had sought to expand the number of activities held there.
Currently, Dinton Pastures hosts Marvellous Festival, focused on tribute acts, which attracts more than 1,000 people each year, the Great British Food Festival, and will even host a Medieval Weekend this September.
During the consultation period for the new license Jean Pierre Kloppers, who lives in the park, objected to the application, raising fears that his family will face disturbance throughout the year.
Mr Klopper wrote: “The noise generated from amplified music (both live and recorded), performances, and large gatherings of people would inevitably lead to significant noise nuisance.
“This would detrimentally affect the peaceful enjoyment of my home, particularly during evenings and weekends when residents expect a degree of tranquillity.
“The potential for noise from large festivals, as explicitly mentioned in the application, is especially concerning.
“While I understand the desire to utilise the park’s facilities, this must not be at the expense of the health, wellbeing, and amenity of local residents whose homes are uniquely situated within the park itself.”
Due to his objection, a meeting of the council’s licensing sub-committee to decide the application.
Gemma Wilford, the council’s countryside events manager, argued that few events will go on until 11pm, and explained that the application eases event organisation, eliminating the need to apply for temporary events notices, which are limited to 15 events per year.
She said: “The only enquiries we are getting at the moment that want to go to 11pm are wedding enquiries, and that is a very new segment of the business for us.
“As much as I’ve submitted this for an 11pm finish, I do believe those events are few and far between.”
Speaking at the meeting, Mr Klopper argued that Marvellous Festival can be disruptive, and there would be a risk that more disturbance could occur if the licence was granted.
He said: “Marvellous is great, but it’s a burden.
“It has worked to date, but that event is onerous, parking is one thing, the noise is huge, it doesn’t stop at 11pm, as much as the rules say it doesn’t.
“Then there is the mess that is left over. If it’s strained at the moment, it’s going to get even worse; we’ve got to be cognisant of that.”
He then asked for major events to be limited to four a year, eight medium events for between 500 and 1,000 people, and not more than one amplified music event per week.
Earlier in the meeting, council licensing officer Alex Coomber explained some of the conditions proposed.
For all events of more than 999 people, organisers will have to submit event safety, traffic management and noise management plans to the Wokingham safety advisory group three months in advance.
Staff will enact a Challenge 25 policy for alcohol sales, with plastic cups being issued to clamp down on glass litter.
Wokingham borough council’s licensing sub-committee decided to grant the application with conditions.
Those conditions are that the operating hours be limited until 10pm from Sunday to Thursday, and 11pm from Friday to Saturday.
In addition, a safety advisory group meeting and a management plan will be required for public events.
