Mote Park stays the only Maidstone site allowed loud music events, up to five a year, and six more parks and squares get music caps. Cabinet approved it 21 Oct.
Mote Park will stay the only council site in Maidstone where loud music events are allowed. It keeps its limit of up to five a year. Six more parks and squares are being given their own caps on amplified music for the first time.
Updated 26 October: Cabinet adopted the policy on 21 October, including the caps for the six new sites and the new application process. The decision notice says the number of loud music events and days at Mote Park and Whatman Park does not change (decision notice). It can be called in until 30 October.
The rules are in a new Policy for the Hire of MBC Sites (Festivals and Events). The council’s Cabinet decides whether to adopt it on Wednesday 21 October (Cabinet report).
What changes
The old policy dates from 2016 and was last revised in 2017. That revision set noise categories and a cap on loud music days for just two sites, Mote Park and Whatman Park.
The new policy adds six sites:
- Cobtree Manor Park
- Brenchley Gardens
- Coronation Square, outside Lockmeadow
- the River Park Amphitheatre near All Saints Church
- Jubilee Square
- South Park and Penenden Heath
It also writes down, for the first time, how organisers apply. It adds environment and equal opportunities criteria. New hire conditions ask organisers to promote sustainable travel, avoid single-use plastic and use local traders where they can (policy document).
The three noise categories
Every event is put in one of three categories:
- Category A, loud amplified music that will carry beyond the site. Limit 65dB LAeq over 15 minutes. Only Mote Park can host these.
- Category B, moderate amplified music. It must not exceed the normal background level by more than 15dB LAeq over 15 minutes.
- Category C, events with little or no impact. These are unlimited at every site.
The policy accepts that a decibel limit does not always capture what annoys neighbours. Low-frequency bass can be more of a problem further from a venue than close to it. The council can now add conditions on bass or impose extra measures when it needs to.
Site by site
| Site | Loud (A) events | Moderate (B) events and days | Music hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mote Park | Up to 5, over 12 days, music on no more than 8 | Up to 8 events, 12 days | 10am to 11pm; 10pm finish on Sundays |
| Brenchley Gardens | None | 8 events, 10 days | 10am to 7pm |
| Coronation Square, Lockmeadow | None | 7 events, 10 days | 10am to 7pm |
| Jubilee Square | None | 5 events, 10 days | 10am to 7pm |
| Whatman Park | None | 2 events, 4 days | 10am to 7pm |
| Cobtree Manor Park | None | 2 events, 4 days | 10am to 7pm |
| River Park Amphitheatre | None | None | Quiet events only |
| South Park and Penenden Heath | None | None | Quiet events only |
Mote Park’s calendar
The policy keeps Mote Park’s big-event season. Events with heavy infrastructure can run from mid-May to mid-September. Large events are not allowed in August, so families have the park in the school holidays. A weekend straddling two months can be an exception.
Set-up is usually limited to two consecutive weekends of event days. A third may be allowed but is not guaranteed. Charity walks and runs can be held all year.
The 460-acre park has hosted large events since Radio 1’s Big Weekend in 2008, which drew 30,000 people. Race for Life has run there since 2011.
What the council says has worked
The report says the 2017 limits have been kept to. Complaints about music noise have “dropped to a handful each year”. It says the limits have reassured people living near the park.
The numbers for the six new sites are based on several years of booking data, the report says. Existing events get first refusal on their dates the following year.
The Planning and Communities Policy Advisory Committee backed the policy earlier this month. It added one request: that the way background noise is monitored be reviewed.
What it means for you
- Living near Mote Park: no more loud events than now, and the same 11pm finish (10pm on Sundays).
- Living near Brenchley Gardens, Jubilee Square or Lockmeadow: these spaces now have written caps. Amplified music must stop by 7pm.
- Living near South Park, Penenden Heath or the River Park Amphitheatre: no amplified music events are allowed at all.
- Running an event: applications start with the online form on the council’s Hire a Park page. Large events must also go through the Safety Advisory Group.
The Cabinet meets at 6.30pm on 21 October. The papers are on the council’s meetings site. For what is on this month, see our Maidstone events listing.
Have your say