The organisers of the Devon Truck Show are revving up their plans for 2027 early after securing permission for live music and alcohol sales.
The annual event takes place at Smeatharpe Airfield near Honiton, in East Devon, and those behind the show have got their plans rolling for what will be its tenth anniversary.
While the event has become a regular fixture in the area’s calendar, some residents had raised concerns about it ahead of East Devon District Council considering the licensing application by the truck show organisers.
Two objections to the event’s licensing application claimed that a restriction on the use of air horns was not abided by at this year’s festival.
“The resulting barrage of air horns created severe noise pollution that disrupted the peace of local residents and distressed nearby livestock, this was mainly when HGV’s were entering and leaving the site, but also particularly bad on the Sunday afternoon, of the bank holiday,” resident Denis Sanders said in his representation against the application.
“Because the organisers demonstrated a total lack of operational control over vehicle noise this year, the council has no reason to believe the 2027 event will be any better. Theoretical licensing conditions are useless without enforcement.”
Mike Quartley, director of the festival, said the licensing committee had granted the application because there was “limited evidence” of complaints to statutory bodies and that no responsible authority had objected to it.
But he took on board what residents had claimed.
“We also want to acknowledge and respect the concerns raised by our closest neighbours,” he said.
“The [licensing] hearing gave everyone the opportunity to sit down, listen to each other and have a really constructive conversation.
“We came away with a much better understanding on both sides, direct contact details have now been exchanged, and that dialogue will continue before, during and after the event.”
Mr Quartley added that the event had been part of Smeatharpe for many years and that being a “good neighbour is important to us”.
“Where concerns are raised, we will listen, learn and continue to improve the way the event is managed,” he added.
In a public announcement about the music and alcohol licence being granted, the truck show organisers emphasised to all drivers not to use air horns except within the permitted five-minute periods of 10am-10:05am on both the Saturday and Sunday.
“Please respect this,” the statement added.
“It’s only 10 minutes across the entire weekend and we need every driver to play their part in helping us minimise disturbance to our neighbours.”
Mr Sanders had also claimed there had been previous issues with the event’s toilets, claiming the organisers “demonstrated an inability to manage basic sanitation infrastructure”.
“During the 2024 show, the on-site toilet facilities were removed from the camping field, (approx 40 acres) as it was a wet year, tankers were unable to access the field, thus resulting in campers emptying waste over the fence onto our property,” he claimed.
“Complaints were made at the time, but no one from DTS contacted us until after the event,” he said.
“The event suffered from severely unhygienic conditions, overflowing temporary units, and inadequate waste disposal infrastructure.
“Smeatharpe Airfield lacks permanent mains drainage and so bringing thousands of campers to a site reliant entirely on temporary holding tanks creates an unacceptable risk of human waste leaking into the local soil and contaminating nearby water run-offs.”
DTS Live Events, which is based in London’s Covent Garden, submitted the licensing application to East Devon District Council covering the dates of 28-31 May 2027.
The approved application secures live music as well as the sale of booze for consumption on and off the premises.
Live music is expected to run between 11am-11pm, while alcohol sales will begin from 10am and end at half-past midnight on the Friday and Saturday and midnight on Sunday.
A report prepared for the council’s licensing and enforcement sub-committee noted the applicant had previously applied for and been granted a time-limited licence for 2024, 2025 and this year.
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