Farm neighbours feared would be ‘next Glastonbury’ can hold more music events

A FARM that neighbours feared would be the “next Glastonbury” when a 25-year-old took over can stage more events and for longer.

Huw Evans began farming in 2017 with a plan to hold weddings and concerts as well as farm tours and wine tasting sessions, to support a “more environmentally minded form of agriculture”.

But his application to change the farm’s premises licence, which also covers alcohol sales, to allow events to be staged throughout the week, rather than only from Thursdays through to Sundays as originally allowed, and until 6am on Fridays and Saturdays and 4am on Sundays was opposed by neighbours.

Gary and Jess Yeomans described noise from music events as “just about bearable but irritating” but said increasing the number, size and frequency would “significantly impact our homelife” while Peter and Verity Rumsey said they had been “regularly disturbed” by music from the farm.

Both couples also highlighted poor access from the road into the farm as reasons for their objections.

County councillor David Jones said he acknowledged cooperation from the farm owners but said noise from Llanvetherine Court, which is south of the Old Ross Road, east of Abergavenny, disturbs the “tranquillity” of the area where there are a number of holiday lets and Airbnb properties.

In information submitted to Monmouthshire County Council applicant Mr Evans said Mr Yeomans had expressed fears of the potential impact on his Airbnb business but he rented that property for the farm’s biggest event of the year, in September, and the holiday let has a 100 per cent five star rating for the five years it has been in use during which time the farm has staged regular large-scale events with late finishes.

At the council’s licensing committee hearing, on Monday, September 22, Mr Evans said previous events have been staged under temporary event notices, with the farm having had six such temporary licences this year and the same number last year, and his intention isn’t to stage more events but to simplify the licensing conditions. The permanent licence is limited to midnight other than 6am finishes on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Licensing officer Linda O’Gorman said there had been no objections to the 37 temporary licences granted since 2018 and the committee report also confirmed there had only been two complaints to the council since 2022 and steps the applicants had taken in response.

Mr Evans’ father and co-applicant, Edward, said they had also improved the barns used for most of the music events, that can include more than 250 people.

He said: “We’ve spent quite a lot on sound proofing those barns. They were in a terrible state when we took over and we put a lot of sound proofing in. They are much better sound proofed than the average barn on the average farm.”

Huw Evans said techniques such as a “straw bale castle” and a second sound system, facing the first, to reduce noise, have been used.

Asked by committee chairman, Councillor Tudor Thomas, what level “incidental music” which would also be outdoors and continue past 11pm would be played at Huw Evans said talking and even wind rustling the trees could be louder.

He said: “The style of music is about atmospheric, swirly kind of noise. I don’t know if you’re into the same kind of atmospheric music?”

The applicant’s father added: “There’s a generation gap here and I’m on the other side of it.”

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In his application Huw Evans had stated: “After an initial fear of living next door to the next Glastonbury, and uncertainty of a 25-year-old new entrant to farming, the vast majority of the local community have become supportive of what it is we do.”

The three member panel approved the application unanimously and said they were reassured issues raised by objectors had been addressed but advised the applicants to issue advice, including possibly on the farm website, to advise of the potential difficulties when entering and leaving the site at the junction with the road.

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