PLANS to hold live music events on playing fields for 25,000 concertgoers have been called off.

The decision has come as a relief to incensed residents living near the proposed site at the Jim Evison playing fields on Altrincham Road in Wilmslow.

SJM Concerts had sought planning permission for a three month premises licence from May to August, with provisional dates for the first two-day gig to be held in July.

The company has now withdrawn the application for a premises licence to hold a number of activities, including films, live music, recorded music and dance performance.

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A Licensing Act sub-committee hearing was due to be held today, Monday, to determine the matter but the application was withdrawn last week.

Cheshire East Council had received 40 responses from interested parties regarding this application.

The withdrawal has been welcomed by a Cheshire MP who had urged Cheshire East Council to re-open its consultation to allow more people to have their say.

The original consultation ran across the festive period and closed on January 12, meaning that a lot of people did not have time to air their views.

Tatton MP Esther McVey said: “This was never about whether we should have a two-day music event in Wilmslow but whether the Jim Evison was the right location for such a large scale event.

“Local people had a number of issues and I suspect some of them, especially parking, safety and disruption to local residents may have proved too challenging to resolve given the scale of the event.

“I spoke to many residents about this and they all had valid concerns.

“I had planned to attend the licensing hearing at the council and raise all of their and my concerns, but this will no longer be necessary as thankfully the application has been withdrawn.”

The proposed event could have seen up to 25,000 people at the site each day with live music from 4pm to 10.30pm.

The application was for an event expected to take place on Saturday, July 7 and Sunday, July 8.

Ms McVey said that sound checks would have taken place from 10am each day, meaning potential noise disruption for 12 hours each day for local residents.