Reading Festival granted permission to get bigger and louder

The organisers of Reading Festival have been given permission to expand the capacity of the event over the next two years.

Reading Borough Council licensing applications sub-committee agreed, on Friday, to increase the size of the festival from it's current capacity of 78,500 ticket holders to 82,000 next year, and then to 85,000 for the 2011 event. Reading Festival organiser Melvin Benn and Festival Republic also succeeded in being allowed to increase the number of early arrivals, who enter on Wednesday, from 7,500 to 20,000.

The festival has also been given permission to turn up the volume. The council have given permission for sound levels on site to increase from 98 decibels to 107 decibels.

An extra 3,500 tickets to this year's festival held on August bank holiday are now available only to residents of the Borough of Reading (one per resident) until Friday 31st July (midnight). This includes all residents with RG1 postcodes. Reading Borough Council residents within RG2, RG4, RG6, RG30 and RG31 are also eligible - all applications from these postcode areas will be checked that they fall within Reading Borough Council's boundary. Residents of Mapledurham Village are also eligible for tickets, any left over will go on general sale on Saturday 1st August.

Those festival goers who are eligible must register via email before Friday 31st July in order to be emailed the ticket link. Registration must include name, address and how festival goers are planning to travel to the festival. Those who apply and are eligible will be sent the link from Monday 3rd August to buy one ticket.