1:00pm Monday 4th August 2008
By James Calnan
BOSSES at Colchester’s new community stadium have been forced to back down from a bid to allow round-the-clock celebrations to take place there.
Residents living near the United Way stadium, which is to stage its first game tonight, were up in arms over an application to allow the stadium grounds to be open all day for live music, dancing and other entertainment, with alcohol potentially on sale until 5am.
One couple said tests on the public address system were so loud they had left their young son with tinnitus, while others voiced fear over antisocial behaviour caused by late night events.
At a Colchester Council licensing sub-committee hearing last week, the committee imposed further restrictions, saying amplified music should be turned off at 1am while any activities in the car park should end by midnight.
Stadium operations manager Keith Turner said while he wanted to make it possible for events such as conferences and concerts, he could not think of any situations where loud music would be played in the early hours of the morning.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.gazette-news.co.uk