A Punjabi festival is set to take place this weekend after Hillingdon Council gave the go-ahead for the event.
In a meeting on Thursday (June 11) which lasted just six minutes, councillors were told that all previous objections from council officers and teams had been withdrawn following engagement with the applicant. As such, the Licensing Sub-committee rubber stamped the plans as they were unopposed.
The festival will take place on Sunday, June 14, between 11am and 8pm at the Sky-Ex Community Stadium in Hayes. The event celebrates traditional Punjabi culture through music, dance and spoken word.
The 3G pitch area will be split between a standing audience zone and a seated area containing approximately 800 folding chairs and large sofas for VIPs and guests.
It will be a ticketed, non-alcoholic, family friendly event, expecting around 2,000 people to attend throughout the day, with a maximum capacity of 1,500 at any one time. Whilst primarily aimed at the Sikh and Punjabi community in the Southall and Hayes area, it is open to everyone.
The event will feature a ‘truck stage’ which will host live bands, spoken word performances and dance. The headline act for the event has been confirmed as Sunanda Sharma, a famous Indian singer and actress.
The site will also host market stalls and food concession stands selling hot and cold food and drinks. While early plans suggested there would be inflatables and children’s rides, it has been confirmed this will no longer be the case.
The event will have 30 qualified security officers as well as two paramedics and an ambulance on site in case of any medical emergencies. There is also an emergency evacuation and traffic management plan which has been put in place.
The application initially received a number of objections from relevant authorities including the council’s environmental protection team, the food and safety team, and the Metropolitan Police.
The police had raised concerns about the applicant’s ability to prevent crime and disorder and public nuisance whilst promoting public safety. However, all objections were withdrawn following positive engagement with the organisers.
It is unclear what measures were put in place to address the previous concerns as this was not outlined during the six-minute hearing. Shortly after the meeting began, a legal officer told the committee that there had been “some developments”.
Another council officer then went on to say the withdrawal came following the submission of revised documentation addressing the concerns of the objectors. No members of the public objected to the proposals.
As no councillors on the committee had any questions relating to the application, Cllr Darran Davies went straight onto the decision. He said: “The Licensing Subcommittee notes that all representation has been withdrawn prior to the hearing.
“The application is therefore no longer contested and will be granted as applied for subject to conditions consisting with the operating schedule and mandatory statutory conditions.”
Tickets to the festival are available on Eventbrite priced at £15 plus fees.
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Philip is a Local Democracy Reporter covering Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow, with a focus on council decisions, housing, planning, licensing and community stories across west London.
