THIS summer's planned open air rock concert in the grounds of Slane Castle, Co Meath, has been cancelled following a decision by Meath County Council that planning permission might be required for the event.
The owner of Slane Castle, Lord Mount Charles, said he was "more than disappointed" to have to halt negotiations on the line up for this year's concert, as he would not have enough time to secure planning permission.
About 80,000 people have attended the concerts in the castle's 22 acre grounds over the past 15 years to hear acts such as Neil Young, Guns `n' Roses and Oasis.
Lord Mount Charles said the decision to cancel the event followed a meeting with Meath County Council yesterday. He would be seeking legal opinion on the planning status of future concerts.
He called on the Department of the Environment to introduce a licensing system for outdoor events such as rock concerts. The Government should address this issue because, if there is a question mark over Slane from the planning point of view, then there may be question marks over other similar events in venues like the RDS and the [National] Stadium", he said.