Greenbelt Arts Festival to move to Deene Park location

GREENBELT '93 is to go ahead on a new, temporary sight at Deene Park, Northants. Britain's largest Christian arts festival, Greenbelt was recently rocked with the news that their application for a licence to hold the festival on their supposedly permanent new site in Church Stowe had been refused.

Greenbelt's new Deene Park location is in the grounds of a stately home near Corby, Northants and is accessible from both the M1 and the A1. Chairman of the Greenbelt festival Martin Wroe said, "We were disappointed that we couldn't make things work at Church Stowe. But the strength of local opposition - based we believe on serious misconceptions about the nature of Greenbelt - meant that we were refused a public entertainments licence. In any case the intensity of public feeling in the area would have made it difficult to be comfortable at Church Stowe. We do still have the opportunity to appeal against the decision, but we have decided that it is best to go somewhere we are more welcome. Deene Park is just the place - in many ways an ideal setting. The estate, owned by Mr Brudenell (who is related to the man who led the Charge of the Light Brigade, the Earl of Cardigan), features lakes and woodland and rolling countryside with ample room for camping."

Greenbelt is still actively looking at the viability of owning its own permanent site, but the organisers could not find such a place before August. The festival, to be held on the 27th to the 30th August has just announced its first major booking. Pop megastar Cliff Richard, who will be playing the Big Top, is to perform an informal acoustic set interspersed with chat. Other Artists already confirmed to celebrate Greenbelt's 20th birthday Featival include Martyn Joseph, lona, Eden Burning, Peter Case, Chicago's Rez Band and last year's hit from the U.S.A., Over the Rhine.