By Alan Wilson, Rocktalk reporter

THE ORGANISERS of plans for a New Year open-air concert at Camperdown Park have secured two powerful allies in their bid to secure a licence for the event.

A consortium of local businessmen called Three Js Promotions hope to put on a massive two-day open-air gig featuring the likes of Snow Patrol, The View, Deacon Blue and Madness on the same site as the Radio 1 Big Weekend last year.

And two major figures behind the organisation of that event, Dave McCalmont, who was events manager for the Big Weekend and Simon Battersby, who was live events security manager, have been enlisted as consultants to help steer the licence negotiations through the necessary procedures.

The pair were at Camperdown Park yesterday to meet members of the group, police representatives and Travel Dundee representatives to iron out various issues before the licence application goes before the city council’s licensing committee on June 14.

Dave McCalmont, who is now events director with his own company Angel Music Group and Simon, now operations director with his own security company, Showsec, were both keen to see the event staged in Dundee after the success of the Radio 1 extravaganza in May last year.

Dave said, “I think it’s great to organise something like this in Dundee at Hogmanay, a city of this size should have something.

Dave, Simon, members of the group and council officers joined the police and Travel Dundee representatives in driving round the park to identify any problems for a fleet of buses which, it is planned, will transport revellers away from the venue at the end of each night.

A spokesman for the Three Js group said they are just Dundee people fed up with the city’s lack of a major Hogmanay celebration.

Basing their proposal on the Radio 1 Big Weekend, the group have contacted all the relevant authorities about it and say they have the funding in place.

The group are planning to have 15,000 people each day on Hogmanay and New Year’s Day, with a day ticket price of around £40.

Lord Provost John Letford has previously confirmed that he was aware of the application and said it will be considered on its merits.