T in the Park organisers are urging Perthshire residents to have their say during the planning of the event.
Over the coming days around 8,500 homes will receive a letter from the chief executive of DF Concerts, Geoff Ellis, inviting them to comment on T in the Park’s proposed move to Strathallan, near Auchterarder.
He says the letter is a bid to allay fears surrounding the massive festival and counter “misinformation”.
“We believe that we have presented a well-researched, thorough application that demonstrates how we plan to deliver a quality event at Strathallan with minimal disruption and exceptional long-term and far-reaching benefits,” says Mr Ellis.
“We are confident that we will receive approval for the festival to take place at Strathallan Castle albeit that we anticipate that there will be conditions placed upon us, it would be highly unusual for any application to receive a rubber stamp without any and, of course, these will require to be delivered.
“Our message to you is that you can check the facts and make up your own mind by reading the plan.”
Mr Ellis said that people could be assured that, as part of the planning process, feedback from local people was listened to and acted upon.
He accepted that the traffic management of the July event, which could attract 85,000 music fans, is of great importance to local people and that keeping disruption to a minimum is in everybody’s interests.
“We have highly experienced consultants with an excellent reputation for designing and implementing successful traffic plans for major events all over the UK, especially in rural areas,” he said.
“Their plan has been developed in consultation with Police Scotland, Perth and Kinross Council, Traffic Scotland, Bear Scotland and the emergency services, who all believe that the roads will cope with the traffic levels when managed properly and efficiently.
“Strathallan was eventually picked as the most suitable site much to the disappointment of other areas for a number of reasons, including gradient, multiple access and egress points, no dependency on just one main junction, and its minimal use of public road crossings, to name a few.
“T in the Park is a very important event for us and we did not take the decision of its new home lightly it would not make any sense for us to choose somewhere that we did not believe would work.”
The potential impact on wildlife and in particular an osprey nest has also been raised by some objectors.
“As Balado, our previous home for 18 years, was a site of special scientific interest, we’re used to taking appropriate measures to protect wildlife and biodiversity interest,” says the open letter.
Mr Ellis points out that the festival generates millions of pounds for the local economy and significant contributions are made to projects and charities in the area.
The plans are available on the council website, at www.dfconcertsandevents.com and until February 20 at Auchterarder Library and the Strathearn Community Campus, Crieff.
“Everyone is entitled to read this and submit representations which will still help shape the event demonstrating how open and robust this process is,” concludes Mr Ellis.
The T in the Park letter comes hard on the heels of a massive leafleting campaign by objectors operating under the banner STAG (Strathallan Action Group)
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