Cabinet members of the Isle of Wight council last night (Thursday) approved the terms of the new five-year agreement with Isle of Wight Festival.
The original ten year land hire agreement expired in December 2019 and temporary agreements have been put in place for every year since, taking up time for between six to eight officers each time.
Higher fee
Terms of the new agreement include an increased annual fee of £86,700, a bond to the tune of £100,000 to be held by the council for any reinstatement works needed following the event, and a mechanism to allow for relocation of IW Festival operations at Newport Harbour, should any redevelopment of the area commence during the period up to 2027 (Newport Harbour Masterplan).
There is a separate annual agreement for the use of Medina Leisure Centre and Medina College has a separate agreement with Live Nation for the use of their land.
Bacon: It could become the greenest festival in the country
Cllr Jonathan Bacon seconded the proposed motion and highlighted the introduction of a Green Fund that Festival-owners, Live Nation, have agreed to establish.
It would see a tariff or levy on those attending the festival through non-sustainable modes of transport, such as 50p added a ticket for car parking. Cllr Bacon added,
“I would like to hope it would be a major selling point of the Festival. It’s already an iconic event in an iconic location and if this could start a move to it becoming perhaps ‘the greenest festival’ in the country or more widely internationally, I would have thought it would make it and the Island an even more attractive location and event for people.”
Stephens: Not keen on five years
Cllr Ian Stephens said he was disappointed that the council didn’t push harder for a higher fee, given the increase in costs over the last year.
He added,
“I don’t like the five-year deal, it might save us resource time, but it certainly doesn’t safeguard our financial viability.”
Interest on the £100,000 bond
Cllr Karen Lucioni asked whether the £100,000 bond would be kept for five years, which Chris Ashman (Regeneration Director) agreed they would, confirming they’d be making interest on it.
Cllr Phil Jordan said he had raised some concerns about the Traffic Management Scheme that “has been problematic”, but had received assurances that “those won’t be repeated”.
Peacey-Wilcox: Went in hard on this
Asking members to approve the recommendation, Cllr Lora Peacey-Wilcox said she had gone in hard on this, with the officers being taken over the coals,
“I was meticulous on an awful lot of detail on this because I wanted to make sure it was a better deal for the Island than we’d had previously.”
All members agreed that:
The council agree to the terms of a new five-year land hire agreement with Isle of Wight Festival as set out in paragraph 20 and instructs the Director of Regeneration in liaison with the Leader to conclude the detailed arrangements in the agreement, including provision to terminate where necessary
Giddings: Focus on making sure the event stays at the forefront of the UK live music scene
Following the decision, John Giddings, promoter for Isle of Wight Festival, told News OnTheWight,
“We are very pleased that the council has approved a new five-year agreement enabling the continued use of Seaclose Park for the Isle of Wight Festival.
“For more than twenty years we have worked with local stakeholders to turn the Isle of Wight Festival into one of the biggest and best in the country and this agreement secures that for the future.
“The festival delivers a significant economic boost to the Island each year and with this deal in place we can focus on making sure the event stays at the forefront of the UK live music scene.”
Image: © Isle of Wight Festival
