VIDEO: T in the Park supporters celebrate council’s approval for Strathallan move

T in the Park can go ahead at Strathallan Castle, councillors have ruled.

The festival’s all-important planning application was approved following a heated showdown between objectors and backers.

Perth and Kinross Council’s development management committee was unanimously in favour of the move.

T in the Park, which is now in its 21st year, was forced to move out of its traditional home at Balado, near Kinross, after an underground pipeline sparked safety fears.

But its bid to relocate to the 1,600-acre Strathallan estate hinged on securing planning permission.

The scheme was approved, despite thousands of objectors calling for the festival to be stopped. They argued that the show would lead to roads chaos and would have a harmful effect on wildlife, particularly protected ospreys which have arrived at the site.

However, bird welfare charity RSPB Scotland has said that steps can be taken to protect the species, while roads officials believe the local network can cope with the influx of thousands of festival-goers.

For more on this story, see Wednesday’s Courier.