GLASGOW'S TRNSMT music festival will be able to show one of Scotland’s World Cup games after residents’ efforts to block the plan failed.
Community councils in areas surrounding the Glasgow Green festival objected to DF Concerts’ licence bid over the plan to screen the match.
They argue extending the festival’s curfew from 11pm to 1am on Friday, June 19 – when Scotland play Morocco – will cause even more noise and disruption for neighbours.
But Glasgow City Council’s licensing committee ruled DF Concerts’ can go ahead with the proposal, with councillors granting a temporary public entertainment licence for the event.
Scotland’s men’s national team is making its first appearance at a World Cup since 1998 – and the fixture on June 19 kicks off at 11pm, after Richard Ashcroft has headlined the music festival.
Tricia Fort, chair of Calton Community Council, said: “It goes way beyond what we have accepted in the past for TRNSMT, which has been at least three if not four nights of late noise.”
“At the end of the game, the crowds will be dispersed, many of them having spent 14 hours on Glasgow Green,” she added. “They will be getting into taxis, private cars, buses, whatever, causing noise and disruption in the area.”
Gordon Millar, of Merchant City and Trongate Community Council, said: “There is already enough chaos as it is between 11 and midnight when they leave.
“It’s one thing having the 3 to 5am nightclub people heading home, some with a bit more spirit than others, but having several hundred, if not thousands, of people doing it would obviously be thoroughly unacceptable.”
Both Fort and Millar suggested TRNSMT attendees could watch the match in city centre pubs.
Stephen McGowan, the licensing lawyer representing DF Concerts, said: “What pub in the city has the same level of medical care, police attention, security, staff etc that TRNSMT would have? I think the answer to that is probably none.”
He added: “I think it’s true that this is absolutely a one-off, once in a generation event. My clients have never asked for a licence until 1am before, I think the rarity of this is something the committee can have regard to.”
McGowan said there had been no objection from Police Scotland to the plan and highlighted there is an expected economic benefit of £20m to Glasgow from hosting TRNSMT.
Commentary will be played during the game but, McGowan said, this will be “significantly” lower than the bands that have played earlier in the evening.
He added dispersal from the festival would be “far worse” if there was “a rush at the closure of TRNSMT” of people trying to get into the city centre to watch the football.
