Alexander Orion, one-third of the Folk Trio Moebius Loop, is the organizer of the Hempreidemption Spring Festival, which runs May 12-14.
The Somerset Council’s Licensing Subcommittee North met Wednesday morning (19 April) in Bridgewater to allow the event to continue after the environmental protection team voiced concerns about noise and “public nuisance”. decided whether
However, the councilors ultimately voted that enough new information was provided to allow the event to proceed safely and peacefully.
The festival is held at Avalon Abbey in the village of Chilton Polden, just off the A39 Bath Road, roughly halfway between Bridgewater and St.
Its official website describes the three-day event as a “weekend
An emotional affair within the grounds of this splendid castle.”
The solar-powered Hemp Redemption stage hosts a variety of “live folk, fusion, psychedelic and mantra music” throughout the festival. These include group jamming sessions, poetry readings, spinning and weaving, saunas and a gypsy market.
The festival prides itself on being ‘100% vegan’ and family friendly. Children under the age of 4 are admitted free and alcohol is not served at the venue.
However, the council’s environmental protection officer, Mark Shipley, has filed a formal complaint against the Temporary Event Notice (TEN) issued to allow the festival to proceed.
In his address to the subcommittee on Wednesday (19 April), he said:
“Discussions with the site owner and previous event applicants have not provided confidence that future events on the site will be held without disturbing the nearest residential or convent residents. I did.
“There are no noise management plans or details on how the prevention of public nuisance will be controlled and managed.”
Orion said his event was supported by Glastonbury Mayor John Cousins, who had taken steps to address Shipley’s concerns.
he said:
“Since graduating from university in 2014, I have spent most of my time campaigning for green, sustainable and ethical solutions.
“This event seeks to demonstrate in a small, low-impact, sustainable way that the only amplification is in the form of a solar power stage that is inaudible to all nearby properties.
“I did my best, but just before the Easter Bank Holiday weekend I learned of these objections.
“We hired an event manager to handle large events like Lovejam. He’s on site.
“We hope this alleviates any potential doubts about whether we can manage public nuisance.”
After a brief postponement, the subcommittee determined that Mr. Orion had provided enough information to safely proceed with the festival.
Councilor Lee Redman, who chaired the conference, said:
“However, from the evidence we heard at the hearing, it was clear that this application had gone through a lot of work and preparation, and that Mr. Orion accepted the environmental team’s concerns.
“Mr Orion appeared sincere in his desire to run a safe and well-managed event and was open to addressing the concerns of our Environmental Protection Officers.
“The event plan and noise management plan were slow in submission and limited in detail in some areas, but we are pleased that most of the concerns of the officers were addressed.
“I have faith that Orion will continue to work with them. [the officers] To make our event management and noise management plans more robust. We are pleased that the event furthered the licensing objectives with the additional evidence provided. ”
