'Chaos' fears over outdoor party plan for Tettenhall

Street Banquet is set to take place in the grounds of Chris Jewkes Fitness centre in Danescourt Road on June 27. But, like the controversial funfair plan before it, concerns have been raised about the suitability of the event.

Street Banquet will take over the sports ground on Danescourt Road near to the village's Upper Green and feature live music, booze and street food vendors including Meat Shack and Gangsta Wraps.

Wolverhampton City Council granted the Birmingham-based organisers a licence for the event, will can be attended by up to 499 people and runs from 3pm until 11pm on June 27.

But a local councillor says he is concerned that the event will not be properly managed and has accused council bosses of failing to consult residents before giving the party the go-ahead.

Councillor Jonathan Yardley, who represents Tettenhall Regis ward, said: "This is another event that the council has forced upon the people of Tettenhall without any consultation.

"This has been sold to the council as a high-quality food event, but there will be alcohol, loud music and the possibility of hundreds of people coming into Tettenhall at a time when the area is already busy.

"There are genuine worries that this could descend into chaos is not handled properly. I would like to know what plans there are to deal with car parking for the extra people coming into the village and the collection of litter from areas surrounding the site.

"Noise is also a key issue here. We are told by the organisers that there will be amplified music which I think is a real concern."

Organisers had originally planned to hold the banquet on Upper Green, but the privately-owned site was leased instead.

Event spokesman William Power said the street banquet would be an opportunity for families to 'enjoy good food and conversation' in a friendly atmosphere.

"This is very much a family-friendly event with the emphasis on great street food," said Mr Power, who grew up in Tettenhall.

"Any music will be purely background music. In no way at all is this ever going to be a rave or a club night.

"The site we have chosen is self-contained and there will be a limited impact on the surrounding area."

He added that a portion of proceeds from the event will be donated to the charity Promise Dreams.

Street Banquet ran a smaller scale event at Lab 11, Digbeth, Birmingham, last month, which featured music from Ibiza's Cafe Mambo resident DJ Pete Gooding.

Another banquet is planned in Birmingham on June 13.

Last month, Wolverhampton City Council backed down over plans to stage a funfair on Upper Green following a string of complaints from residents. A petition set up against the fair garnered more than 2,000 of signatures in less than 48 hours.

Wolverhampton City Council was not available for comment.