Despite complaints from concerned residents in Leigh over numerous issues with excessive noise, the licence for a summer festival at the cricket club in Pennington has been approved. The event would see live music being played as well as a fairground and children’s entertainment for what is billed as a family event.
One resident said that he and his family had been so disturbed by the annual firework event they had to have a weekend away at that time every year. All three objectors were concerned by the potential noise they would face coming from just over their back fence.
They believe that this is “a step too far” from the cricket club.
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Diane Livesey, a resident whose house backs onto the cricket pitch, said that she can hear the thuds of music from the club’s indoor events late in the evening so was concerned of the level of noise this would make. She said it keeps her up at night when there are events like weddings being held there.
“I have lived here for 20 years and the experience I had was that it was a lovely club that I used to use, but that has changed,” she told the Wigan Council licensing committee at Leigh Town Hall. “I accept that every club has to be commercially viable, but not at the expense of the residents.
“I have rang and rang and rang to ask that the music needs to be turned down. There is nothing wrong with functions and events but I want to know why it needs to be so loud.
“I don’t know why they need to keep pushing the boundaries a bit more.”
She went on to say that if she had an event in her back garden every weekend like the cricket club does, she would be considered to be antisocial.
David Jackson, another objector said that the firework event brings the area to a standstill and even stated that it had become such a disturbance that he and his family vacate the area around the bonfire night period to avoid it, and he did not see why this event would be any different in terms of disturbance. He said this was the first time he had taken issue with the club's events, saying it was “a step too far”.
The Beech Walk site will host a maximum of 2,500 people, a similar number who attend the firework event each year. A traffic plan has been put together and the organisers are urging those attending to use public transport or walk to the event in order to reduce the amount of congestion in the area when the event does take place.
The variation of the licence includes the ability to hold music events on the outdoor cricket pitch between 12pm and 10pm and the sale of alcohol outside. There will only be two events of its kind in one year, the cricket club has said.
The music at the event will end at 9.30pm and attendees will be leaving around the 10pm mark. This was done to avoid disturbing nearby residents.
The objectors were unanimous in their opinion that the communication from the club was not up to scratch and believe that more consideration should be made for them as they live in very close proximity. Simon Colderly, who is running the festival event, has said he will do what he can to change that and promised to be in contact before, during and after the event.
When approving the licence, chair of the committee Councillor Stephen Hellier said that they hoped to see the communication between the club and nearby residents improve from what was lacking in the past.
