T site owners defend festival
The owners of the Strathallan Estate have defended their decision to host T In The Park amidst criticism from some locals and two nature groups. The move is still being considered by Perth And Kinross Council after an initial consultation resulted in 523 submissions, with slightly more against than for the proposal. RSPB Scotland and the Woodland Trust Scotland, while not lodging formal objections, have raised concerns about an event the size of T In The Park coming to the Estate. But the co-owners of the site, Jamie and Debs Roberts, insist T coming to their property will be good for the local area and the local economy, and dispute some of the cobservations made by the RSPB andthe Woodland Trust. They told the BBC: "Our family has owned Strathallan Estate for more than a century and it is with a deep sense of heritage and responsibility that we steward the land and the buildings we are fortunate to be responsible for".
A second public consultation is being held to consider the festival taking place at Strathallan, with council officials seeking more information from DF about their plans.
The Woodland Trust has now launched a petition to gain support for its campaign against the festival taking place on the Strathallan Estate. In a statement, the Trust said: "T In The Park is Scotland's biggest music festival, attracting 85,000 people every year. That's 85,000 people's worth of noise, light, litter and general disturbance, which would drive many rare species away from the woodland at Strathallan Estate".
ReplyDeleteIn continued: "Promoter DF Concerts identified the estate as their preferred site to host T In The Park in July. However the area is surrounded by old, rich woodland used by bats, otters, red squirrels and birds (including ospreys, skylarks and kingfishers). A massive festival is just what the woodland and wildlife doesn't need".
Noting that the local council report showed that the Estate was, in fact, "twelfth of the fourteen options identified" by DF Concerts as potential new sites, it is calling on the public to sign its petition to convince the council that "it is an unsuitable area for an event of T In The Park's magnitude to be held - the impact on precious wildlife is simply too damaging".
DF Concerts has previously said that it will "robustly address" all concerns put forward.