Plans for new UK kitesurfing festival dropped after residents object

Plans for a new four-day kitesurfing festival on Hayling Island, off the south coast of England, have been dropped after residents raised concerns over disruption.

The proposals involved combining the popular Kitesurfing Armada event with music going into the evening, creating a new Shoreline Festival for up to 5,000 people, including up to 1,500 camping. A further 500 people were to be employed, including performers, bar staff and coastguard.

In 2022, the three-day Kitesurfing Armada was cancelled weeks before the event, with organisers citing ‘licensing issues’ as the reason behind the closure. The event — previously voted Best UK Kitesurfing Event for three years in a row — had been due to host the British Kitesurfing Championships as well as acts including DJ Norman Jay MBE. It has not taken place since.

The council had proposed the Chichester Avenue car park as the site of the new Shoreline Festival. However, the council’s own sub-committee vetoed the plans after objections to the event were lodged when the organiser applied for an alcohol licence.

Speaking to Portsmouth outlet The News, organiser Gareth Gwynne-Smith of Security and Event Solutions says: ”I am devastated about the decision, but I am reaching out to the council to make it work. I am really gutted as we wanted to bring this event to Hayling in a professional way.”

He said he would not appeal the decision and had previously told the outlet: “It’s not Glastonbury; it’s never been planned to be Glastonbury. We would like to bring back the event [Kitesurfing Armada] that was down there [Hayling Island].”

The News reports that the licensing committee heard verbal objections from six residents, most of whom live within 30 metres of the car park. There were a further 29 written objections against the event serving alcohol and playing music until midnight.

After debating the application, the subcommittee’s decision to refuse the application listed reasons, including local residents’ concerns. Other concerns in the report included the impact of 5,000 people entering the site each day, the licensable area being very close to nearby houses, the nuisance caused by loud music, and the Hayling Light Railway running through the site. The report also expresses the possibility of beach huts being affected.

Organisers state the event could not be profitable without providing alcohol and music.

”We completely understand the concerns of the residents, and have always been committed to working alongside them,” Gwynne-Smith tells The News. “We are hugely disappointed at this decision. Our hope was to put Hayling Island seafront back where it belongs, right at the hub of the outdoor activity and watersports world and that this vibrant, family event would benefit residents and visitors alike.”