Site of cancelled Glastonbury Festival to be open to campers this summer

The site of Glastonbury Festival will be open to campers this summer despite the cancellation of the world-famous music event.

The festival organisers Michael and Emily Eavis applied for permission to use 82 acres at Worthy Farm in Somerset for a "family-focused temporary campsite" last month.

Mendip District gave permission to open up the land to family campers for 56 days this summer last month.

The local authority also gave the green light for campsites over 28 days in the following years.

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The new permit has now been deemed "lawful" under their current planning rules.

It comes after the five-day annual festival was cancelled this summer for the second year running due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The campsite will cover much of the traditional festival site, including the Pyramid Stage and Kidzfield areas.

Organisers have also asked for permission to host a two-day music event planned for September.

The festival will feature a limited selection of live music performances.

However, a decision has still not been made by the council over the smaller festival.

Emily Eavis announced early applications for the two-day event in an Instagram post in March.

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She said: "It’s so good to dream up plans and hope that some of these things could potentially happen later this year."

The organisers are also planning a global livestream event from May, featuring Coldplay, Jorja Smith and Haim.

Watch: Glastonbury organisers announce global livestream event for May