Glastonbury Festival: World-famous Pyramid Stage could become permanent fixture at Worthy Farm

One of the world’s most iconic festival stages, Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage, could become a permanent fixture at Worthy Farm
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Glastonbury Festival’s iconic Pyramid Stage could become a permanent fixture, if plans go ahead. The Worthy Farm stage is currently on a rolling temporary planning permit, but organisers want to make the stage permanent meaning the land around the stage could be used all year round for parties and camping, according to the BBC.

If granted, the permission would allow the organisers “permanent regularisation” of the site including the stage, a building used for storage and recycling, and the land used to accommodate the festival’s temporary workforce. But the festival would still be subject to its official licence needed to operate.

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A spokesperson for Planning Sphere, who represents Glastonbury Festival Events Ltd (GFEL), told the BBC: "The grant of planning permission will provide certainty and secure the future of the largest music festival in Europe. There are significant cultural and economic benefits."

While the stage and site is world famous and brings more than 200,000 visitors yearly to Somerset during the festival, locals say making the Pyramid Stage a permanent fixture would mean turning the working farmland into a site for festivals and camping.

Anthony and Hilary Austin, who live in the area, said: "If the site becomes a permanent site, we are concerned that additional events could be held on the site without seeking any additional planning. The festival creates its own problems due to the lack of accessibility from main roads, having only one entrance off the A361, and we would be concerned should the number of events be increased."

The current temporary planning permission expires in 2024. Mendip District Council told GFEL in 2021 the temporary permit would not get an extension as it is "contrary to best planning practice" laid out by the central government.

Glastonbury Festival returns to Worthy Farm from June 21-25, 2023.