Colchester's Molly O'Reilly's event had sold 4,500 tickets

Preparations were underway for the setting up of a 1,000-capacity marquee on Monday when Colchester Council’s licencing sub-committee ruled that Molly O’Reilly’s could not sett up a temporary pub next month.

Live Tour Promotions had applied for an alcohol licence application in October and the Gazette understands 4,500 tickets had already been sold before the licence was turned down.

Disused – a derelict astroturf was where the fun pub would have gone (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest) The council has now clarified there was an agreement in place between its commercial arm Amphora Trading and Live Tour Promotions to use part of the Leisure World site. 

But the arrangement could only go ahead if a licence application was approved. 

Luke Betts, director of Live Tour Promotions, told the Gazette he respected the sub-committee’s decision and wanted to continue working with the authority to deliver Oktoberfest, Ibiza Orchestra, and new event called Summer in Nashville at Castle Park next year.

He added it was the first time in his 20 years in the business a local authority had turned an alcohol licence down, and that selling ticket subject to licencing permission is standard practice in the events industry.

He said: “I think the council genuinely has been fantastic to work with – we’ve used the council licence to run all our events for years and they’ve been great.”

Cancelling the event, Mr Betts said, meant musicians and security staff who had been hired locally will now miss out on work during the festive period.

He continued: “We were approached by the council to bring this event here and we were shown this site – people thought it was fine.

“But we have had to spend the morning calling musicians to say their Christmas work was cancelled.

Application - Live Tour Promotions had hoped an alcohol licence would be approved (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest) “And security staff – all their work has gone now.

“I want on record to say I respect the panel’s decision – I disagree with it, but I respect it.

“Unfortunately, they have gone against their own experts, police, and environmental health.

“But we are not here to appeal – we are not here to rock the boat and we don’t want to go against the council.”

Council: License application decision means agreement is no longer valid

A spokesman for Colchester Council has responded to questions raised about an agreement it had made with an events company about a controversial pop-up pub next to Leisure World.

He said an agreement had been reached for Live Tour Promotions to set up a Molly O’Reilly’s Fun Pub on an astroturf pitch next to Leisure World, but added that agreement hinged on a licencing sub-committee granting an alcohol licence.

A statement read: “There was an agreement in place to allow Live Tour Promotions to use the redundant artificial pitch area at Leisure World for the Molly O'Reilly attraction.

“This agreement was subject to the promoter and operator obtaining the necessary license from Colchester City Council. Such an arrangement was necessary to enable the license application to proceed, as use of the area had to be agreed upon beforehand.

“Now that the license application has been considered and declined, the agreement is no longer valid.”

Luke Betts, 38, also addressed concerns about that the licence application was not visible enough to residents and members of the public.

He said: “We are actively trying to sell tickets – if we tried to hide a licence application it would be massively counterproductive to our interests.”