A number of business and residents based around the site of Cornwall’s largest music festival have expressed their fears at the possible impact of increased noise levels and the addition of an extra performance day.

The organisers of Boardmasters, which runs from Wednesday, August 5 to Sunday, August 9 this year, have applied for a renewed premises licence, which includes a bid to increase decibel levels as well as adding Thursday to the run of live music days, which have traditionally taken place from Friday to Sunday.

Festival director Rob Spring says the changes are needed to ensure the “customer experience is at levels expected of major international festivals, without creating a nuisance for neighbours”.

However, neighbours are concerned the proposed changes will create a nuisance and have written to Cornwall Council to object. A Licensing Act sub-committee will discuss the application on Wednesday, March 4.

Will Ashworth, founder and executive director of Watergate Bay Hotel and SeaSpace, is among those who have raised concerns. The hotels are based on either side of the Boardmasters site at Trebelsue Farm, Newquay.

He said the hotel group was particularly worried about Boardmasters raising the decibel level to 65, from 60, until 11pm on Thursday to Sunday, “a very significant additional level of sound”.

Mr Ashworth said it equated to a 216 per cent increase in sound intensity, a 78 per cent increase in sound pressure, which would be “40–50 per cent louder to your ears”.

“What was already an impactful event will become significantly more so on our businesses, local residents and other local businesses, particularly campsites, that are not part of Boardmasters,” he added.

The current licence restricts the levels between 11pm and 1am to 50 decibels. The new proposal increases that to 55 decibels.

“This again is a very significant increase, which equates to the same percentage increases as above. This is a period of night when many residents and visitors will be trying to sleep and it will therefore be impactful.”

Mr Ashworth said: “The application also seeks to include an additional day (Thursdays) for live music. We do not object to this in principle, but with the proposed additional decibel levels applied to Thursday too, it will exasperate the impact.”

Newquay Town Council also has concerns relating to the extra performance day and increased decibel levels, believing it would be “highly likely to increase the noise nuisance generated by the festival”.

Colan parish councillor John Fitter and Cllr Rowland O’Connor, who represents the area at Cornwall Council, have also objected, fearing the changes could impact neighbours.

Leah Steward, who lives nearby, told the council: “The current music noise level can already cause a significant public nuisance to surrounding residents, including ourselves. An increase of 5dbs may not sound much, but it is a noticeable increase, the sound intensity roughly triples.

“I recently attended the local community meeting with the Boardmasters team. Concerns over the increased music noise level and the additional night of audible noise were raised by residents, but I do not feel that the team appreciated the impact on the community and they did not adequately address residents’ concerns.”

Abby and Richard Paull, of neighbouring Treloy Touring Park, said the noise level changes would eliminate “a clear distinction between evening and night-time controls and significantly reducing opportunities for guests to sleep”.

They added: “This does not reflect best practice or national guidance for festivals of this scale and duration. The application seeks to introduce Thursday as a fourth consecutive day and night of loud music, whereas previously this day was effectively quiet.”

Festival director Mr Spring has written to all of the objectors explaining the need for the changes.

He said: “With regard to the application to amend the Thursday sound levels so they align more closely with the weekend programming, this forms part of a broader strategic shift for the event.

“The intention is to gradually evolve the Thursday offering so it feels more consistent with the rest of the weekend, both in terms of energy and audience appeal.

“Over time, this approach supports a natural repositioning of the event, helping us move away from a narrower audience and age bracket, and towards a more balanced, mixed demographic crowd.”

On the changes to the sound conditions, Mr Spring said: “Let me first start by saying that it does not benefit the festival in any way to create any public nuisance and disturbance for local residents/ businesses.

“The reasons behind applying for changes to the existing sound conditions are also important to ensure that we are competitive and comparative with other similar size UK festivals, allowing us to book acts and present a market-leading offering to the customers whilst also ensuring that once at the event that customer experience is at levels expected of major international festivals, without creating a nuisance for neighbours.

“In specific relation to the request for an increase in pre-11pm sound limits, the proposed 65 dB is an upper band, not a target. There is no scenario in which levels would be intentionally increased simply because the permission allows it, particularly where this could cause unreasonable disturbance.

“With regards to the applied for change in the way the sound is controlled after 11pm we are looking at introducing a more managed stepped decline process at documented intervals of 11pm, 1am and 3am.”

He added: “Within the current conditions there is a metaphorical cliff edge at 11pm where sound levels onsite go from full show volume to much lower, meaning that levels have to be changed in the middle of some of our headline sets on some of the secondary stages – this has led to complaints from customers and artists alike, and as a result has led to difficulties in booking appropriate level artists for these slots.

“I appreciate that on the face of it, it does seem like the festival is asking for a lot of changes.

“However, prior to making this application a lot of work has gone into understanding what the sound impact is around the site so that we can have confidence in the levels applied for to give that balance of improving onsite experience for customers, while ensuring that we manage sound levels without increased nuisance or disturbance for the local community.”

Mr Ashworth, of Watergate Bay Hotel, responded: “Surely the onus should be on Boardmasters to arrange their acts and timings more effectively rather than solving the problem by impacting residents, businesses and visitors with a later and louder licence?”

The application requests a licence to operate until 4am from August 5 to 9. The total capacity of the event will not exceed 58,000 capacity, which breaks down to 53,000 tickets, plus 5,000 staff/performers and non-ticket holders per day.

Devon and Cornwall Police suggested an additional condition that CCTV is installed on the festival site and in the campsite area, which has been agreed by Boardmasters.