24/08/2026
𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠@𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲.𝐠𝐨𝐯.𝐮𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐭𝐨 𝐣𝐨𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐲@𝐠𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦, 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛 𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐮𝐫.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐢𝐧.
𝐖𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰.
𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 ‘𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢-𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫’ 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥.
Dear Councillors,
A personal and community plea regarding the Bishop Blaize and JoeFest
I am writing to you as a member of the community and as someone who has been directly involved in JoeFest, to ask that you give careful consideration to the future of outdoor events at the Bishop Blaize in Romsey.
This is about much more than live music or a single event. It is about community, charitable fundraising, grassroots music and the legacy of a much-loved young man, Joe Godden.
Joe was a musician, performer and much-loved friend. Music was an enormous part of his life and identity, and he had performed at major local events including Victorious Festival. Following Joe's death, his friends wanted to create something positive from an incredibly painful loss. JoeFest was created as a celebration of his life and his love of music — bringing people together while raising money for causes that matter.
For us, JoeFest is not simply a festival, a ‘public nuisance’ as stated on the notice from Test Valley Borough Council or ‘anti-social behaviour’ as deemed by an anonymous neighbour. It is Joe's legacy.
To deem it as such is an outrage and an insult to the memory of a much loved local resident.
The Bishop Blaize has provided a venue where that legacy can continue. It has given local and emerging musicians a platform, provided a space for the community to come together and supported charitable fundraising. JoeFest 2026 supported Tonic Music for Mental Health, following previous fundraising including £2,000 for Solent Mind.
The wider fundraising work associated with the Bishop Blaize is also significant, with support for organisations including Solent Mind, Tonic Music for Mental Health, Prostate Cancer UK and the Fire Brigade Museum.
These are tangible community benefits which I respectfully ask you to consider alongside any concerns regarding outdoor events.
We fully recognise that residents have a legitimate right to enjoy their homes without unreasonable disturbance. We also recognise that the council has statutory responsibilities in relation to noise nuisance.
We do however refute the claims that residents could not hear themselves in their gardens when we have video footage where you can hear individuals talking in the background over the live music.
Under section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, noise emitted from premises can constitute a statutory nuisance where the relevant legal test is satisfied. Where a local authority is satisfied that a statutory nuisance exists, or is likely to occur or recur, section 80 provides for an abatement notice requiring the nuisance to be abated or its occurrence or recurrence restricted.
However, the legislation does not establish that the mere presence of amplified music, or a particular decibel reading in isolation, automatically constitutes a statutory nuisance. The circumstances and evidence surrounding the alleged nuisance are important.
This is particularly relevant to JoeFest.
The sound at JoeFest was professionally managed.
Professional sound engineers were engaged to manage the event. Sound was monitored using professional equipment and actively controlled throughout the day. The organisers did not simply turn the music up and leave it running without oversight.
In addition, marquees and event infrastructure were used to help dampen and contain sound.
We deliberately put these measures in place because we understood that holding an outdoor music event comes with responsibilities towards the surrounding community. A surrounding community who received prior notice this event was taking place, and who could’ve engaged with the pub or committee before the event or even during it.
We therefore believe it is important that any assessment of JoeFest considers how the sound was managed, what monitoring actually took place, where measurements were taken, over what periods, the prevailing conditions and the actual impact experienced, rather than treating the event simply as an amplified music event.
We also have substantive questions regarding the alleged Environment Agency attendance
There is also a matter which we believe requires clarification.
We understand that it has been suggested that a representative of the Environment Agency attended JoeFest.
Neither the JoeFest committee nor, to our knowledge, Bishop Blaize staff were approached by anybody identifying themselves as an Environment Agency representative during the event.
If an officer did attend and undertook observations or monitoring, we would respectfully ask:
* Who attended and in what official capacity?
* Was any sound monitoring undertaken?
* What equipment was used?
* Where were measurements taken?
* What were the recorded sound levels?
* Over what period was monitoring undertaken?
* What assessment methodology was used?
* Were the organisers or venue staff informed that monitoring was taking place?
* Were any concerns communicated to the event organisers at the time?
* Most importantly if the event was considered to be causing a significant noise nuisance, why was the event permitted to continue without the organisers being approached or asked to take further action?
These questions are not intended to undermine legitimate environmental regulation. Quite the opposite: we want the process to be transparent and evidence-based.
An assessment by an officer should be evidence based and not just anecdotal and we welcome seeing this evidence at the licensing review.
Had an authorised officer approached us during JoeFest and explained that there was a concern about sound levels, we would have been more than willing to engage, provide access to the sound engineers and take reasonable steps to address any identified issue.
It is difficult, however, for an organiser to respond to a concern which is never communicated to them.
Please consider the wider public interest
We would ask councillors to consider the wider consequences of restricting or preventing appropriately managed outdoor events at the Bishop Blaize.
The UK has lost a significant number of pubs and grassroots music venues. These venues provide much more than somewhere to purchase food or drink. They are places where people meet, where musicians develop their careers, where charities raise money and where communities maintain social connections.
The Bishop Blaize has demonstrated that it wants to be part of that community.
For JoeFest, it has allowed us to turn grief into something positive.
We have been able to remember Joe through the thing he loved most, music — while raising money for organisations helping others.
That is why this issue feels so personal.
If outdoor events become impossible because of restrictions which do not properly take account of the mitigation and professional sound management already being undertaken, we fear that something much bigger will be lost.
We will lose an opportunity to celebrate Joe.
Local musicians will lose a platform.
Charities will lose fundraising opportunities.
The community will lose an opportunity to come together.
And Romsey risks losing another important grassroots venue for live music and community activity.
Our request
We are not asking the council to disregard residents' concerns or environmental legislation.
We are asking for proportion, evidence and dialogue.
We ask that any concerns about outdoor events at the Bishop Blaize are assessed on the basis of robust evidence and in accordance with the statutory framework governing noise nuisance.
We also ask that the council recognises the significant mitigation already undertaken by event organisers, including professional sound engineers, active sound monitoring and measures to dampen and contain sound.
Most importantly, we ask that councillors recognise the community value of these events.
JoeFest exists because one person's death left an enormous hole in a group of individuals lives. Rather than allowing that loss to define us, we chose to create something positive in Joe's name.
We created a day of music.
We brought people together.
We gave musicians a stage.
We raised money for charity.
We celebrated Joe.
Please don't let that disappear without a genuine attempt to find a workable balance.
We believe responsible live music and the interests of local residents can coexist. We believe the Bishop Blaize can continue to operate as a community hub while appropriate measures are taken to control noise.
And we believe Joe's legacy deserves the opportunity to continue.
We therefore respectfully ask you, as our elected representatives, to listen to the concerns of residents, but also to listen to the people who organise, perform at and benefit from these events.
Please support the Bishop Blaize in finding a proportionate and sustainable way forward.
Please support grassroots live music.
Please support community fundraising.
And, most importantly for us,please help us keep Joe's memory alive through the music and community that he loved.
Yours sincerely,
The JoeFest Committee
In memory of Joe Godden
