Parklife festival complaints

Date published: 10 June 2014


MUSIC from Manchester’s Parklife festival could be heard across Oldham over the weekend. Residents described the noise level as “ridiculous and excessive”.

More than 70,000 people packed into Heaton Park for two days of music, but the music could be heard more than six miles away in Chadderton, Royton, Werneth and Failsworth over Saturday and Sunday from mid-afternoon until 11pm.

Simon Wood (49) said he could hear the music from his home in Belton Walk, Werneth.

“It was absolutely ridiculous. I can’t believe they were allowed to have the music loud enough that it could be heard at my house.”

Mr Wood added: “When I made my complaint with environmental health, they told me that they had received several complaints from across Oldham. I was put in touch with the organisers, but they told me they were constantly measuring the noise level to make sure it was acceptable.

Manchester City Council’s Environmental Health team received complaints from three Oldham residents.

But Manchester councillor Rosa Battle said: “The sound levels were monitored by an independent sound engineer and Manchester City Council’s Environmental Health team and at no point did they breach the agreed levels.”