Bristol Foodies Festival could be cancelled after police concerns

A major music and food festival in Bristol could be cancelled after police and environmental health officers objected to its new site.

Foodies Festival is set to attract up to 5,000 people a day to Little Stoke Park, Stoke Gifford from 12 to 14 May.

But concerns were raised about noise, traffic, a "potential food poisoning outbreak", fire safety and even a lack of a risk assessment for axe-throwing.

The festival has been approached for comment.

The festival is set to be headlined by pop bands Blue and Scouting For Girls.

It has been held for the past few years on The Downs and features celebrity chefs, bands, artisan producers and a funfair.

But it has had to select a new site after police and Bristol City Council told organisers they would not support the event being staged there again.

They said they had "concerns [about] how the event was run", according to papers published ahead of a licensing hearing.

Instead the festival, dubbed "Gastro-Glasto", chose a recreational sports field in the middle of a housing estate with narrow 20mph (9km/h) roads notorious for traffic and parking problems.

The festival has submitted an application for a premises licence to South Gloucestershire Council, and tickets are already on sale.

Avon and Somerset Police and local authority objections have been published ahead of the decision that is due to be made by the licensing sub-committee on 20 April.

Other concerns raised include potential "confrontation" between "intoxicated" attendees and residents, whose homes are close by.

The police licensing officer's submission said: "There is only one main vehicle entrance, and the park has approximately 80 dedicated parking spaces.

"The park is bordered on three sides by small residential roads. The houses are no more than 50 metres from the park boundary.

"It is the police's concern that holding an event of this size at this location is likely to have an adverse and negative effect on the local residents."

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