T in the Park at Strathallan a community divided

In July, the giant T in the Park festival is due to take place on a Perthshire estate, bringing millions of pounds into the local economy and attracting tens of thousands of fans. But the prospect of the event is splitting a community apart and creating deep resentment. On Friday council planners recommended the event go ahead and, as the final decision approaches on May 12, Gina Davidson investigates the issue that is driving a wedge into the heart of rural Scotland.

THE two roe deer leap from the wooded roadside verge and, without a glance in either direction, disappear into the trees on the opposite side of the narrow, pot-holed road. The sun is high in the sky, there are few clouds, and the verdant landscape of Perthshire, around Strathallan Castle and its 1,600 acre estate, never looked prettier.

But there’s a chill spring wind blowing through the trees, across the farms and down the streets of nearby Auchterarder a town which beneath its cheery, bustling surface is divided.

The general election may be just days away but there are no party political posters littering the streets and countryside. Instead the flashes of colour pinned to trees, pasted in windows and nailed to fences are of bright red capital letter Ts. T for Tennents. T for T in the Park.

Like the Yes campaign posters of the independence referendum the Ts catch the eye and are, say those who display them, all part of the party they hope is coming their way in July if the massive music festival is given permission to pitch its tent at Strathallan.

For those whose windows remain T-free they are a symbol of a destructive force which could endanger protected wildlife and ruin a long-standing tourism economy based on the glorious nature of the area. More, they believe that the controversial decision by DF Concerts to alight on the Strathallan estate as T in the Park’s new home has caused a rift in the community which is as toxic as the Yes-No referendum debate.

The forced move of the festival after 17 years from Balado, Kinross, because of safety fears over an underground oil pump, has led to accusations of underhand tactics to scare off wildlife, allegations of “dirty tricks” to drum up opposition, claims of threats and intimidation, abuse on social media sites and angry community council meetings pitting neighbour against neighbour.

Indeed so divided are people in the town and the farms around the estate, that some of those who object to the music festival say they are now too scared to voice an opinion in public and refuse to be photographed in case they are “targeted”. Those on the other side claim that it’s the protestors who are intimidating and hounding experts and security staff in the employ of DF Concerts.

One couple are at the centre of the storm. Mark and Kim Liddiard live in a farmhouse which could be surrounded by 85,000 campers and an eight foot high metal fence come July if Perth and Kinross Council grant the festival permission to lodge at Strathallan. They have become wary of “putting their heads above the parapet” and no longer want to speak publicly.

But friends of the couple say they are upset that their once close relationship with Mark’s cousins Anne and Jamie Roberts, who own the Strathallan Estate, has been destroyed. They also claim the Liddiards have been left with no legal representation to take their objections forward as the firm they were using withdrew its services. It later transpired that it had links to DC Concerts.

However STAG, the Strathallan T Action Group which includes residents and environmentalists, is still campaigning. It highlights a 2011 Bell Ingram report looking for suitable sites in the area Strathallan was 12th out of 14 because of concerns about access and raises concerns about the protected nesting sites of ospreys as well as the rich biodiversity of the estate.

Yet even its members no longer wish to be named.

A spokesperson says: “The debate should be about whether Strathallan is a suitable site for the festival or not. Instead, because the organisers have failed in their due diligence and contingency planning, this has been allowed, or engineered, to become about the survival of TITP.

“There now seems to be a very real risk it will go ahead at the expense of Strathallan, and particularly its wildlife. We do not believe this is an event that must happen at all costs.”

Another member would only say: “The whole thing has become very divisive and I think some of the supporters of it have been quite aggressive in meetings so people are keeping their heads down.”

Sarah Mackintosh of nearby Aberuthven village isn’t. She’s not involved with STAG but is still against T’s arrival. “I think T in the Park is great but for me this is totally the wrong location,” she says. “The roads are not capable of dealing with the trucks which will be required or the amount of traffic which will come in over the weekend. It will be total gridlock. It’s bad enough at harvest time.”

The 42-year-old mum-of-four adds: “I find the red Ts some people are putting up very bizarre. It’s a bit like the referendum again as Yes people put up posters and No people were much more reserved. Without a doubt it’s dividing the community. It’s one of those subjects you wonder about mentioning as people have such strong opinions either way.”

Caroline Green, a 44-year-old mum-of-two and homeopath from nearby Madderty, has gone from being hugely in favour of the move to deciding against.

“The first I knew of it was friends talking about it and asking if they could camp in our garden,” she laughs. “I thought how brilliant, it will be such fun having it here and we could even walk there. But the more I thought about it the traffic, the river, the fencing in of people the more dangerous I realised it could be.

“Any questions I’ve raised I feel have been waved away with ‘we’ve done it for years, we know what we’re doing’, but this is a totally different site. I think the whole thing is just based on a lot of hope that things will be ok.”

She adds: “I’m also really upset about what it’s done to the local community. Things were just settling down after the referendum and now this has come along and all those red Ts . . . the atmosphere is getting unpleasant.”

The atmosphere inside 78-year-old Jean Thomson’s home in Auchterarder, however, is full of laughter as she jokes with friends about their desire to get tickets to go to this year’s T in the Park. Her windows are covered in poster support for the festival.

“I was born in a house on the estate and worked for 26 years in the Castle and I’m all for it,” she grins. “It will bring a lot more people into the town the Ryder Cup certainly didn’t. All the young folk here want it and if I was able to I’d be there.

“I don’t know what all the fuss is about. It’s the toffs and incomers who’re against it. They have huge trucks coming in for horse trials there and it’s never a bother.”

She adds: “All the shopkeepers are looking forward to it and the B&Bs are getting booked up.

“I admit there’s been a bit of ill-feeling. I heard someone say ‘if this doesn’t happen we know who to blame’ that kind of thing, but we’re sure it will. We can’t wait.”

Jean’s’ wooden red T was made by Steven Gow, 35, a dad-of-four and a farm worker on the Strathallan estate. “I just think it’s something we shouldn’t turn down,” he says. “There’s no getting away that the place will be busy when it comes but it’s just a weekend and DF Concerts are using professionals in traffic management and it’s in their interests to get it running smoothly. It’s the same with the environmental issues and ornithology they’ve got experts telling them what to do. I haven’t spoken to anybody who’s against it. I actually think it’s brought the community together and the majority are supporting it.”

Classroom assistant Wendy Wallace, 44, from Tullibarden, a self-confessed “T-Bird”, feels the same: “I’ve been to the festival a few times, as have my boys, and we’ve always enjoyed it. It’s really exciting and safe and when I heard the STAG people saying they were representing the community, I just thought: they’re not representing me. I got involved with the consultation and realised how much this could bring to the area, and I believe DF Concerts know what they’re doing.”

It will be Jamie and Debs Roberts’ backyard which will be taken over by T should councillors approve the planning permission. They are part-owners of the estate and, says Debs, 43, they are very excited about it.

“We’ve been working with DF for a couple of years and they have a good lot of experienced and expert people working for them. Our first instinct when we were approached was ‘wow’, it was incredible to be asked. We’ve spent a lot of time with them and their experts and have had all our questions answered. Rural areas need diversity and this is a wonderful event to bring here. We’ve had huge support and I think it’s brought the community together rather than divided it.”

Of course the final decision on whether T will be taken at Strathallan is in the hands of the councillors on Perth and Kinross Council’s planning committee. Convener Councillor Tom Gray who also happens to represent the Auchterarder area knows only too well the split in opinion.

“There are a large number of objectors and supporters and it’s extremely difficult to say where they all come from,” he says. “There have been some very heated meetings but the whole thing will be discussed on May 12 and the decision will be forthcoming on that day.”

Only then will 85,000 festival -goers and potential headliner Noel Gallagher know if his High Flying Birds will be joining the ospreys at Strathallan.