T in the Park has insisted plans for next year’s event at Strathallan Castle in Perthshire are still on track.
Although Perth and Kinross Council confirmed no application has yet been lodged for the music festival, T in the Park has said they are currently working on “extensive, careful and detailed preparation”.
With the clock ticking away due to the Scottish Government stating that full planning permission is needed along with an Environmental Impact Assessement (EIA), festival organisers have less than 10 months to clear all obstacles.
They have faced complaints from local residents about the possible effect of the festival on the community and concerns have been raised by a traffic expert about how Strathallan’s rural roads will cope.
Following this, came the biggest setback in August, when the Government told T in the Park they would need full planning permission for the event to go ahead. And because a number of environmental issues were raised, including ospreys nesting on the Strathallan estate, the Government also announced that an EIA would be required, along with a three-month public consultation exercise.
T in the Park then denied that recent extensive digging work that took place in various parts of the Strathallan estate had anything to do with next year’s festival, which has been pencilled in for July 10-12.
Perth and Kinross Council slapped a temporary “stop work” notice on the estate at the end of August while they sought further information on the nature of the work. The stop notice has been lifted in relation to agricultural works at the site, which the council agrees is permitted development.
However, a stop notice in relation to forestry works on the site is still in place until further information is provided by the estate.
Despite these setbacks, a spokesperson for T in the Park said they are working on submitting a planning application for next year’s event.
“We are currently engaged in pre-application planning and discussions to ensure that all relevant documentation is in place,” she said.
“Regardless of the type of planning process, extensive, careful and detailed preparation has always been a hallmark of T in the Park’s success for this year and every year previous.”
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council commented: “We have not received a proposal of application notice or a planning application for T in the Park.
“Notwithstanding the council’s support to retain the festival within the area, we take our responsibilities as a planning authority seriously and will consider any planning application from DF Concerts to hold T in the Park at Strathallan Castle on its own merits and in line with national planning guidance.”