BNP festival host now planning music event

Landowner Alan Warner has announced plans to hold a second festival on his Derbyshire fields this summer despite protests that the site is not suitable for large events.

Mr Warner has already vowed to hold the BNP's annual festival, Red, White and Blue, on his land in Codnor-Denby Lane, Denby, for a second year. A licensing application to sell alcohol and play music at the event has been lodged with Amber Valley Borough Council. Now, he wants to hold a music festival with overnight camping a month later in September.

Local residents have already sent letters of protest to the council about August's BNP event and said they would also oppose Mr Warner's latest plans.

John Lumsden, 65, who lives opposite Mr Warner's fields in Codnor Denby-Lane, said: "I have already written to the borough council about Red, White and Blue and I would do the same for this music festival. At last year's BNP event people were getting through hedges to bring alcohol in and out, which was against the conditions of their licence. People were also urinating in hedges rather than using the on-site toilets."

Joe Osborne, 69, of Breach Road, said noise from the site had carried on for two weeks after last year's Red, White and Blue. He said: "Last time, people were kept awake and a concert would surely be worse. I imagine I will be opposing both events."

Brian Bentley, 77, of Codnor-Denby Lane, said that, if Mr Warner carried on holding events on his fields, it would lower local house prices. He said: "The site is completely unsuitable. Imagine if you were buying a house and someone asked you whether this was where the BNP festival and a music festival were held. You would say 'yes' and they wouldn't be interested any more."

Mr Warner said the music festival would provide an alternative to the annual Rock and Blues Custom Show which, up until this year, was held at Pentrich. The event will now be held at Catton Hall, in Walton-on-Trent, near Burton, because of flooding concerns at the previous site.

Mr Warner said an application for a licence to play music on the site in September had not yet been sent to Amber Valley Borough Council and admitted the event could not go ahead unless this was successful.

He said: "There would be only one stage this year but more could be used in the future. It won't be that big to begin with because we will only be able to pay bands about £1,000 to perform. But we will make sure there's something for everyone - rock, indie, folk, all the genres."

A police spokeswoman said the force could not comment on Mr Warner's plans until he had applied to the borough council.

Derbyshire Evening Telegraph