THE organisers of a festival in Hampshire have won permission to increase its capacity by 10,000.

Winchester City Council licensing committee yesterday (FRI) allowed BoomTown Fair to expand to a 60,000 capacity in time for the event from August 11-14.

South Downs National Park has also given landowner Peveril Bruce permission to stage events at Cheesefoot Head.

The licensing committee heard that BoomTown, which is staged near Winchester, has worked hard to met local objections.

Philip Kolvin (corr) QC, for BoomTown, said it has grown in eight years from being organised on a kitchen table to having 26 permanent employees with 11,600 working at the event itself, including 700 on security.

This year's event is already sold out with an extra 8,500 tickets to be sold. The 60,000 figure includes staff and revellers, and had previously been rejected by the city council.

There will be no change in licensable activities, change in hours or permitted noise levels.

The site will be expanded with a new car park exiting onto the A272, a family and disabled camping area next to the Cheesefoot Head car park and extra car parking near the Matterley Basin.

Mr Kolvin said the event worked well with the police, saying Hampshire Constabulary had not objected to the proposals.

Meanwhile South Downs National Park approved the application for land to be used for music festivals, endurance running and motocross events.

Mr Bruce made the application because the setting up and taking down of BoomTown was taking more than the 28 days he was allowed under permitted development rights.

The planning committee, sitting in Midhurst in Sussex, gave temporary permission.

Natalie Fellows, of SDNP, said: "We will be reviewing it and will see how it goes this year. We will be monitoring the situation."

The committee approved the plan as long as the area's primary purpose of agricultural use was retained for most of the year.

The authority received 225 letters in support and 25 objections including parish councils at Beauworth, Cheriton, Itchen Valley, Owslebury and Tichborne.

Objectors point out that the permission allows non-agricultural use for up to 22 weeks of the year. BoomTown needs nine weeks for setting up and removal.

In a statement BoomTown said last night: "We are delighted to have been granted this licence. It has been a long road with the licence and the planning for Matterley Estate happening at the same time.

"However, through working closely with Matterley, Winchester City Council, South Downs National Park and other responsible authorities, we have managed to gain the licence we were hoping for, whilst ensuring any concerns from the authorities have been satisfied through additional or amended conditions to the licence and can now look forward to opening the gates on two months time."