T(or not)In The Park

So will T in the Park be held at Strathallan again this year? Despite this damning report, the concert organisers seem to think so:

www.bbc.co.uk/.../uk-scotland-tayside-central-35370899

From my reading of it P&KC has not yet given formal approval for 2016, despite the three-year life of the application approval, and Geoff Ellis is blagging, as usual.

The article says "As a result, council staff will need substantial reassurances and evidence from DF Concerts that detailed plans will be prepared on time, and the event will be delivered more effectively, before officers could have confidence in recommending that the event takes place at Strathallan again."

However, I did think that the application was agreed last year, for a three year period.  Perhaps there were so many complaints that they have reconsidered that.

There is a link to the Council report about the Planning and Delivery of the Event by Barbara Renton Director (Environment Service) dated December 2015  in the article, but I am not sure how to bring it over here.  It is 65 pages long.  If anyone is interested, just click on the link in the BBC article that Nature Lover provided.  Appendix 8 give the recommendations.  It reads as though all the recommendations have to be met now, for the 2016 festival to go ahead, not looking at it in the longer term.  Perhaps others may like to comment?

There is a para on ospreys too.  I  have copy and pasted Appendix 8 in the hope it is not too long!

Appendix 8
Report Recommendations

Event Planning
1. Any future Public Entertainment Licence should specify that Event Management Plans must be completed and agreed by relevant public agencies at least 4 weeks prior to the event taking place.
2. A set of key milestones should be prepared for each Management Plan, with Plans to be prepared to the requisite levels by the time of the milestone. Headline objectives for each Management Plan should be provided by the end of 2015.  If the milestone is not reached, Council officers will take no further part in the planning and the Licensing Committee will be advised (DF Concerts).
3. 4 weekly teleconferences should be arranged involving the category 1 responders, and DF Concerts (as a sub group of the Strategic Group) to monitor progress with Event Management Planning for the event and progress with Public Entertainment Licensing purposes. (PKC).
4. A new Management Plan should also be produced in the form of an overall Event Management Arrangements Plan. This will document key management roles and responsibilities, both prior to and during the event, organisational arrangements, command and control structures; functional/geographical responsibilities on site and documented escalation procedures. This Plan should also include similar arrangements for the category 1 responders to ensure a common understanding of relevant roles and responsibilities (DF Concerts/PKC).
5. All Event Management Planning working groups should in future be chaired by DF Concerts or their representatives, who have authority to make decisions on DF Concerts’ behalf. DF Concerts should advise the Council of these Chairs and a programme of meetings by the end of December 2015 (DF Concerts).
6. DF Concerts should resource the Event Management Planning Working Groups to ensure meetings are organised, Agendas are issued and Minutes are produced and distributed promptly after the meetings. Minutes should clearly articulate agreed actions, responsibility and timescales (DF Concerts).
Transport Management
7. There should be an off-site park and ride facility for day ticket travellers being picked up and dropped off, to reduce the risk of pedestrians on the roads, and traffic congestion. (DF Concerts)
3
8. Organisers should give strong consideration to a “no walk-on” policy to the site, so that people entering the event are doing so through officially organised and approved routes.(DF Concerts)
9. In view of the experiences of 2015, the Transport Management Plan (TMP) should be reviewed, with lessons learned adopted into the new document, for any future TITP event. (DF Concerts)
10. The final TMP should be completed, tested and agreed by relevant agencies 4 weeks before any future TITP event (DF Concerts).
11. Briefing for staff at the event, especially all stewards, should be a priority for any future TITP event. Details on how this will be delivered should be submitted to the Council as part of TMP and/or Crowd Safety Management Plans, and submitted to the Council at least 4 weeks prior to any future event (DF Concerts).
12. Organisers should ensure that the JOCC Transport Hub should have access to the facilities, maps, and CCTV images they require to be able to form an understanding of the travel situation, throughout the event (DF Concerts).
13. A directional signage plan should be included in TMP arrangements, and submitted to the Council at least 4 weeks prior to any future event (DF Concerts).
14. Any future Pick up Drop Off (PUDO) points should be managed by a member of the organisers staff, with authority to make decisions on the organisation’s behalf. PUDOs should have toilet facilities and access to welfare arrangements (DF Concerts).
15. There should be a unified bus and coach operation under single management, with authority over the different bus operators, and a single high standard of infrastructure for all buses and coaches using the event (DF Concerts).
16. Clear management arrangements should be complete and approved by the Council for the internal shuttle bus service, at least 4 weeks prior to any future even (DF Concerts)
17. A temporary taxi licence scheme should be implemented by the Council for T in the Park. This would provide a clear understanding for those policing and stewarding the event to allow taxis with the appropriate approved signage for authorised taxis should be suitable for effective pick up and drop off patrons. These should be approved by the Council at least 4 weeks prior to any future event (PKC).
18. The organisers should engage at an early stage with Abellio Scotrail about integrating rail travel as part of the TMP arrangements (DF Concerts).
4
19. Site infrastructure contribution such as roadways and site access points should be complete, and approved by the Council at least 6 weeks prior to any future event (DF Concerts).
20. The internal site management arrangements should be reviewed, with plans completed and approved by the Council at least 4 weeks prior to any future event (DF Concerts).

Development Management Planning
21. For future events, DF Concerts should comply fully with Planning Conditions. Based on a proportionate approach future non compliance with Planning conditions should result in the service of a Temporary Stop Notice, irrespective of the impact on the delivery of the event (DF Concerts/PKC).
22. The Council as Planning Authority should serve formal Breaches of Condition Notices on DF Concerts, to ensure they are aware of non compliances and facilitate further enforcement action should that be necessary (PKC).
23. Planning Officers and DF Concerts should meet to review the issues of non compliance at the 2015 event, and the lack of response from DF Concerts and their agents, and to ensure this is not repeated in future (DF Concerts/PKC).
24. Planning Officers should be integrated as part of the Council’s complement of officers monitoring future TITP events, and funded as part of the Council’s overall charge to DF Concerts for the event (PKC).
25. The Build/Break Transport Management Plan should include all types and numbers of event traffic and all areas of the site involved in this activity (DF Concerts).
26 The Planning ‘buffer zone’ between the site and residential properties should be extended to 100 metres (DF Concerts).
27. The detailed Osprey Management Plan (OMP) should be completed and sent to the Planning Authority at least 6 weeks before the event. This should be following early discussion regarding a baseline OMP on the basis that the ospreys are likely to return to the same nest site (DF Concerts).
28. An Ecological Clerk of Works should be engaged who has the personal qualities, responsibility and authority to ensure that DF Concerts environmental Planning Conditions and obligations are completely fulfilled (DF Concerts).
5
29. DF Concerts or the site owners should resolve with the Planning Authority those activities which have been undertaken without appropriate planning approval (DF Concerts).

Security and Crowd Management
30. For any future event detailed stewarding deployment plans should be submitted as part of the Crowd Management, Stewarding and Policing Plan (DF Concerts).
31. DF Concerts should agree police deployment numbers and policing costs with Police Scotland at least 8 weeks prior to any future event.
32. Perth and Kinross Council and Police Scotland should discuss what further support Police Scotland require from the Council in the planning and delivery of the Crowd Management, Stewarding and Policing Plan (PKC).
33. Crowd modelling technology should be shared by DF Concerts to demonstrate that any future layout at the event is capable of operating without potential crowd crushing risks (DF Concerts).
34. In view of the comments in the report regarding stewarding arrangements, the stewarding company should not Chair the future Crowd Management, Stewarding and Policing Plan Working Group. This role should be fulfilled by DF Concerts (DF Concerts).
35. The numbers and deployment of stewards should be monitored at any future event, and Police Scotland and the Council should agree on the most appropriate approach for undertaking that monitoring (PKC).
Other Issues
36. Event Management Planning for any future T in the Park at Strathallan should take into account the significant areas where antisocial behaviour, littering and disturbance to residential amenity occurred, and future management plans should set out measures to mitigate these disturbances for any future events.

So, do we lobby the council again, or do we have to wait and see?  Any locals out there able to comment on this?

Beavers have been discovered at the T in the park site! Apparently as close as  400 metres from the area where the main stage should be erected. Report in today's edition of 'The Sun':

"A BEAVER hunt is under way on T In The Park’s home turf as their dam habit was revealed as the latest threat to the troubled music festival.

Th buck-toothed rodents face a cull after they were blamed by experts for gnawing down a tree.

They could be shot to prevent them causing floods before this summer’s bash at Strathallan Castle, Perthshire."

Organisers of T in the Park are planning an even bigger festival area this year. The article quotes Geoff Ellis, the organiser: "Our fans are our number one priority." We know that the wildlife is not...............

www.bbc.co.uk/.../uk-scotland-tayside-central-35992310

Given that T in the Park is in full swing again, does anyone have any updates on the ospreys at Strathallan? Seems to have gone extremely quiet compared to last year's vocal concerns about protection of the wildlife including the ospreys at the new site.

Nature lover, I have asked a few times but no one seems to have any information. STaG site has no updates since ospreys arrived back. I think Keith has tried to visit but doesn't get past security which is a bit rich given the nest is NOT on Strathallan land. It belongs to the farm next door who refused to have the nest taken from his land, quite rightly.

It would seem from the 2 newspaper articles that I have read, there was no cause for concern for the ospreys this year as last year the nest was successful.

Latest article was 30th June.  

T in the Park boss is delighted

Thanks Lmac and Starling. It would be good to hear whether the Strathallan ospreys had a successful breeding season this year. As Lmac points out, the STAG website hasn't been updated recently - they were so vociferous last year...