Wombourne car boot site will see three events a year despite parish council's 'drug trafficking' fears

There were more than 20 objections to the premises licence for the field at the junction of Wombourne Road and Bridgnorth Road, which is also known as Col's Car Boot Sale Site.

But this month South Staffordshire Council granted the licence, to allow up to three days of events each year including music, dance, similar performances and alcohol sales. 

The licence is subject to a series of conditions however, including limiting events to Fridays and Saturdays and start and finish times to 10am to 6pm, with alcohol sales allowed between 11am and 5pm.

Entrance will be by ticket only, with no more than 3,000 to be sold for each day that an event is held. Free parking is to be provided on site and the accredited traffic management company is to be instructed to encourage no parking on nearby roads.

The applicants had initially requested permission for events and alcohol sales to take place until 8pm, as well as outdoor boxing or wrestling to take place. But these activity requests were later withdrawn.

Wombourne Parish Council objected to the licence application, as well as 20 residents. The parish council’s objection letter stated: “We believe that this application could expose local families and young people to significant risks, including exploitation, drug trafficking, and gang-related activities.

“Ensuring the safety of children is a priority for the parish council and we feel that these events could have a detrimental impact on the safety and well-being of young people in Wombourne and its surrounding areas. Additional policing may be required to manage these risks, diverting valuable resources from other local duties.

“An event of this nature could result in large numbers of visitors, which may lead to increased traffic and parking issues within the village. This, in turn, could contribute to public nuisance, affecting the peaceful nature of the area.”

A resident living opposite the field said: “This will cause even more traffic and the junction is already notorious for road traffic accidents. We have no chance of turning right when the car boots are on.

”Another objector said: “I have lived in Wombourne all my life and to have this on my doorstep is a disgrace. Firstly it will increase the amount of rubbish and pollution along the Bridgnorth road.

“Secondly it will increase the road congestion – it is always a nightmare to get through traffic when Cols Car Boot is on. When these events are on at these times (they) will cause a lot of traffic, plus risking more road traffic accidents on an already busy road.”

Applicants Donna Turley and Charlotte Whitehouse agreed a series of conditions with Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service should the licence be granted, a report to the Licensing Sub-Committee said.

The pair also gave details of how they would meet licensing objectives, such as preventing crime and disorder and public nuisance, in their application.

They said: “All staff/marshals will be briefed on our zero-tolerance policy towards drugs, violence, drunken behaviour and vandalism. Any such behaviour will be reported promptly to security or event organisers and dealt with accordingly; staff will maintain a visible presence to deter potential issues.

“A controlled noise level will be set appropriately to comply with regulations. Noise level will be monitored regularly with our equipment.