Council green light Reading Festival's plans to get bigger and louder

Reading Borough Concil has voted to approve the expansion of the Reading Festival today (July 24) – so long as locals get access to the tickets first.

As previously reported, organisers had asked to raise the capacity of the event over the next three years.

The festival will grow by 10,000 tickets over the next three years, with 3,500 extra ticket available this year to those who live in Reading and the Mapledurham parish in Oxfordshire, reports The Reading Evening Post.

The festival will then grow again in 2010 by the same amount, with a further 3,000 tickets being added in 2011.

Organisers Festival Republic are setting up a website that will allow locals to register for this year's extras, which will require a name, ID and a utility bill to prove they live in the eligible areas.

Meanwhile THE council also agreed to increase sound levels on site with the previous peak of 98db to 107db. The decibel rating for the nearest residence to the site has also being raised from 65db to 68db during the day, while the final two acts on each evening are allowed to reach 70db.

"I would like to pay tribute to the council for not resting on their laurels and for helping the Reading Festival to maintain its position as the pre-eminent rock festival in the world," declared festival boss Melvin Benn after the decision.

Head to Readingfestival.com for more information.

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