Music Festival Sites and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).

In the UK the government sponsors public organisations that provide a scientific nature conservation service to protect certain areas. Music festival organisers need to consider any potential Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) when planning their events in remote countryside locations.  

Whilst information is publicly available regarding Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) the landowners and event licensing authorities may be unaware of them. This has caught out a few well-known music festival organisers in recent years who purchased land containing a SAC (Green Man Festival July 2022) and even local authorities who issued event licences have subsequently been challenged because of a SAC.

What are Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).
These areas are specified by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) who advise the UK Government and devolved administrations on aspects of the designation and management of SACs from a UK perspective. The JNCC was established under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and reconstituted by the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006. There are currently 656 SACs in the UK with the aim of monitoring biodiversity, evaluating options and providing advice to ensure that the natural environment and its resources and services are managed and conserved sustainably, for the benefit of present and future generations.

Planning and Consultation.
It is not unusual for the existence of an SAC to emerge at the late stages in the licensing application process when they are made available for public consultation. The location of current SACs is available online on the JNCC’s website so details can be quickly checked. Even if a proposed music festival venue is situated on or near a designated SAC it may still be possible to proceed with the festival but close consultation may be needed with interested parties. This may involve moving the festival site just a few hundred metres to avoid areas of concern where endangered species have their habitat.

Avoiding Conflict.
At all times it is imperative that festival organisers and vocal objectors communicate in a productive manner rather than becoming entrenched. Consultation and compromise are always possible even if it means the festival organisers must make financial contributions to promote the preservation of a SAC. Often it is in the interests of the local authority processing event licences that the event goes ahead due to the likely economic benefits to the local community. These licensing authorities can sometime be used to mediate between festival organisers and those tasked with protecting the SAC.

Organisers should establish at an early stage in their venue selection process whether a potential site is an SAC, this can help the decision making when considering a variety of countryside venue locations.

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by Mike B via Pexels

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