A Strathallan resident told a council committee he watched drug dealers scaling the fence to get into the T in the Park campsite.
The committee was being asked to consider granting licences for the smaller MugStock music festival for the next three years.
The not-for-profit festival is scheduled to take place at Strathallan Castle from August 2-5 next year.
One local objector called for the festival to be a one-day event, claiming the campsite for a weekend event is “the obvious place” for drugs.
T in the Park endured two troubled years at Strathallan – following a move from Balado in Kinross – before being axed in 2017 in the wake of several drug deaths.
Security issues
He said: “Indeed with T in the Park we watched the people climbing in and out over the fences with their bags of drugs to sell on the campsite.
“The campsite is somehow seen to be outwith the main event and therefore the security element is perhaps not as tight as it should be.”
Asked if this was reported to the police, he said: “Absolutely. We were in constant contact with the police.
“But unfortunately, right from the start we were told by the police, security for an event of this nature is in the hands of the event organiser not the police.
“The police are only there to deal with the ultimate ramifications. They are not there to deal with prevention.”
A second letter of objection was submitted by a couple who agreed the licence should only be granted for one year “to address some of the concerns”.
‘Volunteer spirit’
However, organiser Alan Govan told the committee MugStock would be very different from T in the Park.
He said: “I went to T in the Park as an 18-year-old.
“I’m 41 now. I think probably the objectors and I have more in common in our views on T in the Park than we do differences”.
He added: “MugStock is a registered charity. It’s run as a non-profit event.
“It’s volunteer-led. I’m a volunteer myself and that’s the spirit of it.
“We’re here to celebrate human talent and potential and do it in a nice place and hopefully while having the minimal possible impact on anyone concerned.
“We do not book the type of acts that people will bother to jump fences to get into.”
He said the event had moved from Mugdock Country Park near Glasgow to Strathallan Estate because of site constraints due to “very little infrastructure in terms of parking and very little in terms of space”.
He added: “We ended up using the overflow car park as the main arena. There wasn’t any room to grow further.”
Outcome
Councillor Hugh Anderson sought to approve the public entertainment application with the provision dogs were excluded, but garnered no support.
Councillors voted by five votes to four to grant the licence for three years. The market traders’ licence was also then approved for three years.
Following the meeting, Inspector David Gibson from events planning at Police Scotland said: “We acknowledge the outcome of the application and are working with the organiser to deliver a safe event.”
T in the Park organiser DF Concerts and Events was approached for comment.
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