Blackweir Live opponents want Welsh Government to decide on events in Summer 2026

Martin Shipton

Campaigners have asked the Welsh Government to “call in” the planning application that would see another summer of Blackweir Live concerts in Cardiff’s Bute Park.

Last year a major row developed between supporters of the events including the city council who argued they were great for the capital’s economy and those who believe they infringed residents’ rights of access and relaxation.

In a submission to the Welsh Government, those who want planning permission refused state: “Cardiff council recognises that it is more than just a local authority, and sets out at the top of its Local Development Plan (LDP) that the LDP is to ‘…respond to Cardiff’s role as capital city for Wales, seat of the national government and centre of the city-region…’

“Bute Park is a Grade-1 listed historic landscape and is recorded on behalf of the Welsh Government by CADW on the Register of Landscapes as internationally and nationally significant.

“Consequently, any change of use which cannot be managed within the 28 day temporary permitted change of use regulations should be assessed by an independent planning inspector with a final decision made by the relevant Welsh Minister.

“Blackweir Fields is around 22% of Bute Park but comprises around 65% of publicly accessible grassland: its loss of use by members of the public for relaxation and recreation for a substantial period of the summer represents a significant change of use that has a substantial adverse impact on the Grade-1 listed historic landscape, as well as being home to a rare fungi, the date-coloured waxcap, which is on the Welsh Government’s Section 7 list of living organisms of principal importance for the purpose of maintaining and enhancing biodiversity in relation to Wales.

“Further, as the planning application is submitted by the same legal entity – the City & County of Cardiff – as the Local Planning Authority (LPA) itself there is a significant conflict of interest that cannot be satisfied by the use of a local planning committee advised by the same LPA’s officers and comprising solely members of the same LPA’s councillors. This is demonstrated by 2 factors.

“Firstly, the event organisers include businesses wholly owned by (or in partnership with) Live Nation, which has entered into lucrative commercial contracts with the council in respect of the Utilita Arena, St David’s Hall and the new Indoor Arena under construction in Cardiff Bay. There is a direct and hugely substantial financial link between the commercial operators behind Blackweir Live and Cardiff council as applicant and as the LPA.

“Secondly, despite it being clear before trucks started rolling into Bute Park in early June last year and a final gig date of July 8 – with clear up and breakdown of the site being completed approximately two weeks later – the change of use of Blackweir Fields would not be contained within the 28 days temporary change of use allowed for under planning legislation and regulations. However, the council’s officers and planning committee members failed to protect this Grade-1 listed historic park from this planning breach that was clearly intended from the outset.

“Both the national/international significance of a Grade-1 historic asset and the need to ensure public confidence in controversial planning that entail a major change of use of a substantial part of Bute Park are among the circumstances recognised in Planning Policy Wales as fulfilling criteria for the planning application to be called in and the decision made independently of a conflicted Local Planning Authority.

“As can be seen from the council’s scale plan lodged with Glamorgan Archives, by far the largest open grassland area of Bute Park is at Blackweir. The loss of this for well over half of the summer for each of the next six years has immense impacts on residents and visitors alike, and as the planning application is seeking permission to repeat it for several years in succession then a longer-term perspective must be taken of the cumulative impact of Blackweir Live and the myriad of other events held in Bute Park across the summer.”

‘Strong grounds’

A spokesperson for the objectors said: “The community believes there are strong grounds for a call-in to be considered.

“Obviously the timing of this has been within the control of Cardiff council as they could have put in a retrospective application in July last year when the 28-day temporary change of use permission was breached – however, they have chosen to wait until almost the last minute (the first trucks are scheduled to roll in just a few weeks after the council planning committee would meet.

“We have asked what happens when a planning application of this type is made with the Senedd election imminent and where the application is then subject to a call in request, and received the following info from one of our regional Senedd representatives, Rhys ab Owen, after he had made enquiry of, I believe, the Senedd Library

“Technically the Welsh Ministers could call-in a planning application at any point, including during the pre-election period.

“In practice, Welsh Government officials will try and clear any call-in requests prior to the start of the pre-election period. Where this isn’t possible, or a call-in request comes after the start of the period, officials have the option of issuing a ‘Holding Direction’. Where a Holding Direction is issued in these circumstances, the relevant minister in the new government will be provided with advice on whether the application should be called-in.

“In practice, this is to provide the Welsh Ministers more time to consider the ‘call-in’ request. Holding directions are issued infrequently and not all planning applications on which a ‘call-in’ request has been received will be subject to a holding direction.”

The objectors are waiting for a response from the Welsh Government.