Villagers have stressed opposition to 'pop concerts' or music festivals at an historic country home estate near Ashby.

Melbourne residents fear that allowing a further music festival location in the vicinity of Download Festival at Donington Park and its accompanying race track – added to the noise from East Midlands Airport – would be the final straw.

They fear the plans, filed on behalf of the Melbourne Hall estate, would endanger children and pets, along with overburdening congested narrow rural roads.

Crow Park, part of the extensive Melbourne Hall estate owned by the Marquis of Lothian, dating back to the 13th century, is the battleground for plans to host large scale music and entertainment events – including a 1,170-space car park.

A South Derbyshire District Council licensing hearing this Friday (May 30) will decide plans from Raymond Gubbay Ltd, owned by Sony Music, to be able to host up to 4,999 people in the historic grounds for two, three-day, series of events per year.

This would include live music and alcohol sales from noon until 10.30am Friday through Sunday.

To facilitate these events, two car parks would be constructed on fields to the east of Melbourne, south of Blackwell Lane, close to the historic pool and Johnny Vegas' Field of Dreams glamping site.

Blackwell Lane in Melbourne. Photo: LDRS

Raymond Gubbay, through RG Live, founded in 1966, details that it has produced and promoted 300 events and sold more than 3.5 million tickets to live events across 50 locations globally.

This includes concerts, music festivals, opera, ballet and illuminated woodland trail experiences at venues including the Royal Albert Hall and Royal Botanic Gardens.

A report submitted with the application details: "The United Kingdom has a diverse and vibrant music festival sector, which has been established for many years at numerous sites throughout the country. 

"Those responsible have chosen to fulfill their ambitions and consider the feasibility of bringing such offerings to Melbourne Hall, accepting that it presents a number of challenges.

"The village does experience noise from East Midlands Airport and Donington Park Motor Racing Circuit which can at times influence the noise climate.

"The estate currently provides for a number of events annually, within the walled rose garden, a setting which hosts a range of comedy and music nights throughout the year, and at a small venue known as the stables from which small low key music nights take place.

"These events have proved very successful and offer little to no impact on the communities.

"Looking to build on this and deliver new revenue streams, Melbourne estate now wish to explore use of land to the east of the formal gardens for the purposes of a limited number of music events annually.

"Indeed, this proposal is very familiar at many other such similar premises who hold similar scale events, without undue concerns been (sic) raised by local communities.

"Indeed, it must be noted that the proposed field is distinct from the other venues currently operating and is likely to impact on a limited number of alternative receptors (homes) to those exposed currently to event noise, namely those located to the north on Blackwell Lane."

Both the district council's licensing and environmental health officials had objected to the application but have now withdrawn their opposition.

Mark Lomas, district council licensing officer, had said the application was for a "considerably increased sized event(s)" which would "undermine the licensing objectives" due to the "patron size and length of events".

He had said the restrictions proposed were not "achievable or understandable" and proposed changes, including limiting the application to one event each year for a maximum of three days along with an extensive event management plan which includes litter picking.

Leah Reed, district council environmental health officer, had said she had "concerns that the application is likely to arise in public nuisance through noise".

She said: "Without further controls, the event is likely to exceed music noise levels at noise-sensitive receptors to the north of the site.

"Additionally, noise from the event dispersal is likely to have an unreasonable impact on residents of Melbourne due to the proposed event finish time and number of attendees."

Meanwhile, 14 residents had submitted objection letters – one of which has now been withdrawn.

Residents opposing the plans mostly stem from the nearby hamlet of Wilson less than a mile from the site, over the Leicestershire border.

They fear increased noise and traffic on top of what they already experience from the nearby airport and racetrack and from the annual Download rock music festival.

Concerns include littering, increased potholes and danger to children and pets – specifically cats.

They detail roads in the area being backed up with traffic for hours due to the Download music festival, damaging verges and historic bridges.

Download accommodates up to 82,000 campers, with 40,000 day tickets available, with 130,000 people attending over the four-day festival in 2023.

One resident wrote: "The site is totally unsuitable to accommodate 5,000 people. It is in close proximity to both the historic centre of Melbourne and the centre of the town.

"The noise generated by an event such as a pop concert would disturb a significant number of Melbourne residents, those living in the surrounding area and in the Leicestershire village of Wilson.

"The bottleneck of Swarkestone Causeway (an historic listed wetland crossing approaching Derby and the A50) would be choked still further by the increased traffic created by an event at this site.

"The traffic generated by the sort of events envisaged would create massive congestion and parking issues regardless of the traffic management plan.

"Melbourne and South Derbyshire are already severely affected by the Download Festival. We don't want even more traffic and noise created on Melbourne's doorstep.

"It beggars belief that the owners of Melbourne Hall are so out of touch with local feeling that they would even contemplate applying for a licence for these sorts of activities."