Locals ‘gutted’ as much-loved kite festival cancelled after more than 30 years

Royston residents are reeling after a kite festival that has been running for over 30 years has been cancelled this year. Organisers from the Rotary Club were asked by local volunteer group Conservators of Therfield Heath and Greens to apply for approval from the planning inspectorate for this year’s event.

This was the first time the group had been asked to submit an application they said, and Natural England raised objections. Martin Berry, one of the principal organisers of the popular festival on Therfield Heath, explained: “We submitted our application last November, allowing, we assumed, plenty of time for it to be considered.

“Applications such as this can usually be processed in weeks if there are no objections. However, Natural England objected, raising concerns about the festival being held on a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

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“It has, of course, always been on the same site for decades and Natural England has never objected before. We have worked closely with the Conservators of the heath to try to address Natural England’s concerns, but without success.

“We are still waiting for the Planning Inspectorate to make their decision but we have now reached a point where we start incurring costs if the event is to take place. And these costs cannot be recovered if approval is denied.

“We deeply regret the cancellation and would like to emphasise how grateful we are to those Conservators who have given up a great deal of their time to help us through this process.”

The festival has raised money for many charities over the years, including The Sick Children’s Trust; East Anglia Air Ambulance; Angels, which supports Hertfordshire children with ADHD; Hertfordshire MIND Network.

Royston resident Jenny Pardoe said: “That is absolutely awful news. I have been going since I moved to Royston in 1975. So sad – another let down for Royston.”

Johnny Wright, another local, agreed: “All we ask is for one day for the Royston community and surrounding villages to come together and enjoy a pastime loved by young and old. It is a celebration of this open space and all that actually is ‘Natural England’”

The Mayor of Royston, Lisa Jayne Adams, said she would be flying her kite on the day of the festival, as a mark of respect for the 30 years it has been running.

She continued: “I'm very saddened to hear that we can't have this one special day. Last year was awesome.

“I spoke to so many people who had travelled from miles away. I'm honestly so gutted.”

John Torlesse, Natural England deputy director for West Anglia, said: “We are disappointed that a resolution has not been found. We suggested pragmatic alternatives which would have allowed the festival to go ahead while protecting one of the country’s most special places for nature.

“Natural England’s concern is that, to prepare the Kite Festival site, the organisers had suggested frequent mowing of a rare chalk grassland habitat – which is protected for wildlife as a Special Site of Scientific Interest.

“We are confident that a suitable alternative can be found and would urge the Rotary Club to work with the Conservators of Therfield Heath and ourselves to find a solution.”

A spokesperson for the Conservators said: “The Conservators are disappointed that the Kite Festival will be cancelled this year. For the past four years, we have been working with Rotary to find a solution or an alternative site on the Heath for the Kite Festival.

“The problem with holding the Kite Festival in early August is that the area really needs to be cut regularly from mid-March to give a good surface and to prevent ground nesting birds nesting, which would prevent us cutting the grass later.

“With no agreement to move the event or timings, we encouraged Rotary to submit an application to the planning inspectorate. The Conservators are a small group of elected volunteers.

“We have an increasingly difficult and time-consuming balancing act between the various demands for activities on the Heath, our desire to protect the environment and biodiversity and the complex legal frameworks we have to operate in.”

A planning inspectorate spokesperson explained that the application is still being considered in order to reach a decision for next year’s kite festival. The inspectorate would like to carry out a site visit, and has put the suggestion to the Rotary Club.