* Dan Cuffe answers a question from the audience during the meeting.
Promoters
who will bring a series of big-name concerts to Llangollen International
Eisteddfod from later this month have assured they will do their very best to
control extra traffic and any excess noise they create.
Over
50 people attended a public meeting at the Town Hall yesterday (Tuesday)
evening to hear a panel of key figures from Cuffe & Taylor and the
Eisteddfod answer questions on traffic management and noise control measures to
be put in place for the all-star evening concerts arranged either side of and
during festival week.
The concerts
start on June 18 with Bryan Adams and end with Madness on July 13.
Traffic
control measures for the concerts are based on a one-way “clearway” system, controlled
by manned traffic lights, at either end.
This
will guide vehicles along in and out of the official Eisteddfod car park via Tower
Road and Dinbren Road.
People
attending the evening events are being advised to buy parking passes along with
their tickets as early as possible.
All
the control measures are fully explained in a leaflet due to be delivered to
residents and businesses across Llangollen soon.
The
panel took a series of questions on how things will work and Dan Cuffe,
co-founder of Cuffe & Taylor, said that feedback gained from the meeting
would lead to further examination and possible amendments to the plan.
One
of the first questions came from former Eisteddfod chairman Dr Rhys Davies who
asked what would happen if parked cars blocked the clearway, which would cause “chaos”
in the system.
Dan
Cuffe replied: “We have already consulted the local authority about this plan
but if necessary we could call on them for extra help with enforcement even if
that means paying for it.”
To
the satisfaction of the audience the panel dealt with a series of traffic
control questions, such as where concert-goers could be dropped off by cars and
where coaches would be able to park.
On
the question of possibly providing a parking shuttle service for the concerts, Cuffe
& Taylor’s events manager Becca Woodhead said there were currently no plans
for this but that ticket sales would be monitored to see if it was warranted.
On
the general question of any additional measures which might be thought
necessary Dan Cuffe said: “We are a responsible company and we will listen. If numbers
go beyond what we expect, one hundred percent we will do something more.”
He
also assured that his company had long experience in handling traffic and this summer
alone would be putting on a total of 140 shows in various parts of the UK.
On
the question of noise which might be generated by the evening concerts, Becca Woodhead
explained that they would be using a sound management company to monitor levels
just outside the Pavilion to ensure local residents were not being adversely
affected.
Dan
Cuffe said he would be at the Pavilion himself on the night of the Bryan Adams
concert, not to see the show but to walk the area to make sure all measures being
put in place were working and to make amendments where he thought necessary.
At
the outset of the meeting the Eisteddfod’s artistic director Dave Danford said:
“This year’s Eisteddfod will be really exciting for the town,” and he assured, “the
festival you know and love will still be here, just in an expanded format.”
The
panel was given a round of applause at the end of the meeting,
