Thousands of festival-goers will enjoy a drink on the Solihull Moors pitch this weekend after a recent licence issue was resolved. The festival organiser says tickets are still available for the first Moors Tribute Festival this Sunday, May 3.
As the Local Democracy Reporting Service previously reported, Solihull Council had arranged a special meeting of its licensing act panel to decide whether to grant the licence, as officers had said the current premises licence did not cover the pitch area. However, it has now emerged the meeting did not go ahead as the issue was resolved, with festival director Ian Rogers getting the green light for drinking on the pitch at the Damson Park-based venue.
Laura McCarthy, ward councillor for Elmdon where the Armco Arena is based, had submitted an objection due to parking issues for local residents. But in a Facebook post, the councillor wrote that after talks with the organisers, new plans for a shuttle bus running from the NCP car park, the provision of a contact number for local residents to raise issues, and a drop-off area at the club for taxis would help to minimise any problems.
Mr Rogers said: “We fully appreciate the concerns raised by local residents and we are grateful for the constructive engagement that has taken place. We believed the original traffic plan was proportionate based on our experience of delivering similar events, but we are pleased to go further. We are delighted the objection has now been withdrawn and our focus remains on delivering a safe, enjoyable and well-managed event while minimising disruption for local residents.”
Mr Rogers told the LDRS that more than 4,000 tickets have already been sold for the event, which features tribute acts including Queen, Taylor Swift, and Sam Fender. This is around 75 per cent of the capacity, with a last push now underway to sell the remaining tickets. “People can buy tickets right up to Sunday and can pay on the door,” he said. “We just need this sunshine to continue. The plan is to make this an annual event. It is a great local community, fun event and is good for Solihull Moors Football Club as well.” Tickets can be bought at themoorstributefest.com.
