Eco-friendly festival for Wasing Estate?

The estate near Aldermaston is the likely venue for a festival called the Green Gathering 2011

WASING Estate near Aldermaston is the likely venue for an eco-friendly festival called the Green Gathering 2011.

Newburytoday.co.uk can reveal that organisers are in talks with West Berkshire Council and Thames Valley Police.

For several years, Wasing Estate hosted the Glade festival which attracted around 16,500 in 2007. However in 2008, organisers claimed increasing restrictions placed upon by the council had forced them to move elsewhere.

A festival called Big Green Gathering near Glastonbury in Somerset suffered similar problems with Mendip District Council.

There was more controversy when Avon and Somerset Police demanded a steel fence and police watchtowers be erected at organisers' expense, leading to claims that the force was targetting law-abiding green campaigners.

Now a new, not-for-profit company called Green Gathering 2011 is in talks to secure Wasing Estate for a four-day event for July 28 to 31 with camping.

Green Gathering 2011 director Steve Judd, who is also a director for Big Green Gathering, said that no final decision had been made but conceded that Wasing Estate was being considered.

He said this year's festival would be a family-friendly event for around 5,000 people and added: “Our main target audience is 25 to 45-year-olds with young children. Our biggest budget is for the children's area and our watchwords are education, environmentalism and sustainability.”

Green Gathering 2011 is expected to feature lectures, film, arts and crafts and largely accoustic music.

According to the festival website (click on the link below), the event “weaves together the disparate strands of the Green or Transition movement for a festival of discussion, exhibition, presentation and performance.”

It states that, as well as information about issues such as organic, fair-trade and sustainable local food production, entertainment will also feature.

Although performance of music, theatre and street theatre are scheduled at venues across the site, all performances must be powered from on-site renewable energy sources.

West Berkshire Council licensing chief Brian Leahy said: “We have had an approach from Green Gathering 2011 with a view to hold an event at Wasing Estate. We've had meetings with them and the police and we're awaiting a formal license application from them.”

Estate manager Ian Lindsay was unavailable for comment.

Avon and Somerset police spokeswoman Claire Stanley said the demand for watchtowers at the cancelled 2009 Big Green Gathering was merely to “help prevent people who had not bought tickets going across private land to gain access to the event.”

Mendip District Council denied deliberately sabotaging the 2009 event by seeking a last minute injunction overturning the license it granted, citing “serious concerns about public safety and possible crime and disorder.”

Thames Valley Police spokesman Adam Fisher said that although no formal discussions had taken place, “we are aware of the plans for the event and the organisers are in contact with the council.

“At some stage soon police and other emergency services, together with the council, will meet with the organisers.“