The Welsh Government has given the Green Man festival the go ahead to press ahead with its Gilestone Farm after assessing its business plan for the site. The government bought the Talybont-on-Usk farm in March 2022 for £4.25m in an attempt to "support growth of the creative sector in a stronger Mid Wales economy".
Over the past few months however, ministers have been criticised for buying the farm at the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park before a full business plan was provided. The Green Man festival's managing director, Fiona Stewart, had said that the festival, which is hosted every August at the Glanusk Estate, was "not moving" to Gilestone Farm but had only given vague indications what the site would be used for.
Recently, Green Man met with local representatives and shared its vision for the site, which included looking to create a new "sustainable rural enterprise". It says it will generate £23m for the local economy, provide at least 38 new full-time jobs and support 300 local jobs through its supply chain.
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According to the Welsh Government, the business plan presented by Green Man had "strong strategic alignment" with the aims and objectives of their Programme for Government and the Well-being of Future Generations Act. In addition to farming, the proposed activities are centred around a creative hub, a new live experiences and smaller scale gatherings, food and beverage production, including support for brewing and bakery businesses. It also includes sustainable tourism, weddings and other events.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Economy Minister Vaughan Gething MS once again said that the site would not be used as a location for the Green Man Festival itself, as Gilestone Farm was "not big enough" and it "would not be logical to move it six miles to an undeveloped site".
The minister also noted that the proposals were still under consideration and that a further consultation would take place with the local community, as well as working closely with Powys Council and Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority. Mr Gething MS said: "Based on the due diligence work undertaken by officials to date, I have agreed the process can move forward to its next stage.
"I have approved access, by licence, to Green Man representatives to undertake environmental and other surveys required to apply for appropriate operating licences and permissions for their proposal, and the commencement of formal commercial lease negotiations with Green Man."
He added: "Once this work and final due diligence has been completed, a full and final options appraisal will be submitted to me for my consideration. I will then reach a decision and make an oral statement to Members.
"In the meantime, Gilestone Farm remains under a management agreement with the previous owner via a Farm Business Tenancy on commercial terms. There has been no change of use at the site since it was acquired by the Welsh Government to require further environmental or planning assessments or considerations.
"I am aware of the significant community interest in the Green Man proposals, alongside media interest and indeed the continued interest of Senedd Members. I will therefore be publishing a set of Frequently Asked Questions on our website, which will be available from tomorrow at Gilestone Farm: frequently asked questions."
In response to the Welsh Government's statement, a spokesperson for Green Man said: "We welcome the Welsh Government’s support for our Gilestone Farm business plan. We will now be working at pace with the Government, Powys Council and others to ensure the plans for the farm meet all the necessary requirements so we can get the project up and running.
"In parallel, we will also be starting a conversation with the wider local community on our plans and the exciting opportunities they offer for Powys and Mid-Wales. Ultimately our aim is that the Gilestone Farm Project can be a force for good helping address some of the many problems Powys faces and bring new opportunities to the area, particularly for young people."
However, the Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for Mid Wales, James Evans MS said that the government's statement was an indication that there was still no plan for Gilestone Farm. Mr Evans MS said: "It comes as no surprise that Welsh Government are pushing ahead with the lease. They say it is for the Green Man brand but Green Man is remaining in Glanusk estate. The last information I had was that lease negotiations were with Cwningar Ltd rather than Green Man Festival Ltd.
"The Labour Government has spent millions without a full, open tendering process. Public funds must be spent with care and due diligence, the money wasted on purchasing the farm could have been better spent on our Welsh NHS.
"With previous news that the Welsh Government announced that it is unlikely to recover a whopping £7.35m that it had spent on a failed racetrack project in Ebbw Vale, this is just another example of Labour’s scatter gun approach to spending taxpayers’ money without having a thought-out business plan.
"The Welsh Government have refused to attend a community meeting – instead, they are using the Community Council, Powys Council and National Park to hide behind. If the business case is so clear – then why not come and face the community?"
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