A POPULAR music festival in Bridport will be extended to include a third day each year, despite a resident's concern about noise.

Jurassic Fields normally takes place on the second Friday and second Saturday of July each year but, following a decision made by Dorset Council's licensing sub-committee yesterday, the festival will now be extended to include the second Sunday of July each year as well.

After consideration, the committee approved an application for the sale of alcohol and the provision of entertainment, live and recorded music and dance for the Sunday.

Jurassic Fields began as a one-day festival on Asker's Meadow in 2014, but was soon extended to cover two days as it grew in popularity, with roughly 2,000 people attending on each day. The event has been cancelled the last two years due to the pandemic, but organisers have plans to bring it back next year and 'make sure that when we return it shall be a party that Bridport never forgets'.

At yesterday's meeting, an objection was read out from a member of the public who opposed the extension of the festival.

The statement said: "It's already a noisy polluting event and an alternative venue should be found instead of extending the damage to the Asker's Meadow nature reserve. I live nearby and the noise and disruption are already considerable."

Dan Broom, organiser of the festival, explained that the festival has outgrown the current site, which is provided free by Bridport Town Council, and there are plans to move to a new site for 2023, however, the new site will charge.

He argued that to raise the funds needed to pay for the new site - between £20,000 and £30,000 - there would need to be an additional day added to the festival.

He said: "By having the additional day, it would bring additional income through ticket sales and bar sales and allow us to have the capital to move sites so we would only have it at Asker's Meadow on the Sunday once (in 2022).

"The Sunday would only have one stage instead of three so there would be less noise, have an earlier finish than the other days, and we would give Sunday tickets to local residents in the facility."

The sale of alcohol and the provision of entertainment, live and recorded music and dance is permitted from 6pm until 11pm on Friday, 10am until 11pm on Saturday and 11am until 10pm on Sunday.

Mr Broom added: "We are a growing festival and we want to make it even better so we need to raise funds."