T in the Park organisers hit out as they confirm 2017 event is off

Organisers of Scotland's biggest music festival have blamed its forced relocation over an underground pipeline and a prolonged battle over an osprey's nest for its cancellation next year,
T in the Park had two troubled years at the Strathallan Estate in Perthshire.T in the Park had two troubled years at the Strathallan Estate in Perthshire.
T in the Park had two troubled years at the Strathallan Estate in Perthshire.

DF Concerts, the promoters behind T in the Park since its launch in 1994, have confirmed it is “taking a break” days after it emerged it was planning a new three-day event in Glasgow in 2017.

An official announcement said the organisers would be taking a “year out” to take stock over the future of T in the Park - although it made no mentioned of the event said to have been lined up for Glasgow Green next July.

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However the statement also hit out at the “onerous” restrictions that had been put on T in the Park in recent years, which it said had meant the festival had become unworkable.

The statement, made jointly with long-time sponsors Tennent’s Lager, complained that a “prolonged fight” had been put up to avoid having to move the event from Balado airfield, in Kinross, due to long-standing concerns from the Health and Safety Executive.

It then faced a prolonged battle to secure planning permission for its new site on the Strathallan Estate due to concerns over the impact on the environment and wildlife.

The statement read: “For over 23 years, T in the Park has been at the heart of Scotland’s music scene – with you, by our side. But for now, sadly, we need to take a break.

“We launched T in the Park with one aim: to give Scottish music fans an unforgettable weekend with their friends enjoying the best acts from around the globe. And to say we achieved this together is an understatement. T in the Park has become one of the best known, biggest and most loved festivals in the world.

“However, the last couple of years have had their challenges. Against our will, and despite a prolonged fight, we were forced to move from Balado. This move was a mammoth task for the event and one that was compounded by a series of onerous site restrictions placed upon us.

“As the build up-to the festival was well underway we were informed by Scottish Government ministers that we would have to apply for full Planning Permission due to the presence of an unregistered, but protected in law, osprey’s nest.

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“The constraints – logistically and financially - that the resulting planning conditions put upon us are simply not workable.

“We tried our best to work with the pressures placed upon the site by bringing in an additional team and fixing the first year traffic issues, but ultimately we’re not in control of the overall site layout and the continued restrictions means that the negative impact on our fans and the limitations placed on their experience is too great.

“We now need to take stock and take a year out to try to resolve the issues so that we can once again deliver the kind of camping festival you are used to and deserve.”