A POPULAR music festival has been given permission to expand its site but will not be allowed to increase the number of people who attend.

The Little Orchard Cider and Music Festival at Healey’s Cyder Farm near Truro had wanted to double its capacity to 10,000 people.

However, after concerns were raised about the plans the venue altered the licence application for a capacity of 7,500.

Yet, despite that Cornwall Council’s licensing committee has ruled that the capacity would have to stay at the current level of 4,999 for next year’s event.

The committee has allowed the festival to increase the size of its site and has also extended its hours so that recorded music can continue and alcohol be served until 2am.

Festival organisers have also been asked to ensure there are sufficient mobile phone charging points and that all children are issued with wristbands with their parent/guardian’s contact details on them in case they get separated.

In approving the application the committee said that it had not been convinced that the organisers had a sufficient management plan to allow the increase in capacity.

Joe Healey, from Healey’s, had told the committee that there was an ambition to continue expanding the festival.

However he said that they appreciated some of the concerns and so had reduced the plans to expand to 7,500 people and not 10,000.

He explained that the event was not looking to emulate the likes of Boardmasters – Cornwall’s largest music festival – and were not looking to attract “huge headline acts”.

The committee heard that the live music on the main stage would finish at 11.30pm and that the silent disco, which uses headphones issued to revellers, would be the last area of the festival to close.

By extending the hours of the three-day festival the organisers hoped to have a phased shutdown of the event on each day to prevent one big exodus at the end of the event.

The licence application allows for up to four events to be held a year and Mr Healey said that there were plans to have a series of smaller events before the Little Orchard festival in September.

He said that these could include an event in May when the orchard is in full blossom and would be more low-key and for around 1,000 people.

Mr Healey also said that the festival was creating a fund for young, local entrepreneurs using money generated by the festival.

The application had attracted a number of objections from local residents, some attended the meeting to give their views.

Janis Crickett told the committee that she had attended the festival with her family and wanted to support local businesses but said that expanding the festival would cause harm to local residents.

She detailed problems with noise from people leaving the festivals and people being picked up from Callestick village in the early hours of the morning.

She said: “These are the things that, at the moment, we are putting up with. We don’t want to stop the cider farm, I went last year, I’m not a fuddy duddy, I enjoy a drink and a dance and my grandchildren came up with me.”

Rebecca Harris, who also lives in Callestick, said that there had not been complaints in previous years as local people wanted to support a local business.

But she said that the application to expand the festival was “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

She added: “They have pushed it so excessively we have been forced to complain.”

The local resident, who also said she regularly attends the festival, said there were problems with parking, traffic and disruption.

The licensing committee approved the application but said that the capacity would have to remain at 4,999.

The applicants were told that they had the right to appeal the decision should they wish to do so.