Tom Kerridge’s Pub in the Park festival was granted a permanent licence for Dulwich Park by Southwark’s licensing sub-committee on Tuesday (May 19) 

Organisers of the food and music festival, which took place in Dulwich Park in 2019 and travels to locations around the UK, applied for a premises licence – permanent for a specific location – in January but was only given a one-year licence.  

But after appealing the decision, Brand Events, the company behind the festival, was given a permanent licence this week. 

The company must also abide by a set of conditions, including closing early on the Sunday and restricting the first year to under 4,000 attendees.  

The three-day festival, “celebrating gastropub dining from across the UK”, was due to be held in early July but will be postponed until 2021 because of the coronavirus outbreak.  

“Under an invitation from Tom Kerridge, celebrity chefs will be producing Michelin starred dining, replicating dishes from each of their own pubs, whilst the audience enjoys live music and boutique shopping in a relaxed pub garden atmosphere,” according to Brand Events.  

A woman who lives just 247 metres from the main soundstage objected at the meeting on Tuesday, as well as in January.  

She said the noise was “distressing” and “most unpleasant”.  

“The demographic of Dulwich Village ward is the oldest demographic in Southwark. 

“It’s 12.5 per cent over the age of 65, compared to eight per cent for the rest of Southwark.  

“These elderly people are living very close to the edge of the park.  

“A lot of elderly residents are going to be thoroughly inconvenienced by three days of noise every year, absolutely unthinkable in the height of summer,” she said. 

The Dulwich Society also objected to granting the licence in light of the coronvirus outbreak.  

But as the licence had already been granted the complaints were deemed outside the scope of the meeting.