CHEPSTOW Racecourse has been granted official permission to run events – after inadvertently being without it since December 2014.

Neither the racecourse nor Monmouthshire council initially noticed the admin slip-up, which happened 18 months ago when official licence holder Chepstow Racecourse Limited was dissolved.

Arena Racing Company (ARC) staff, who run the racecourse, noticed the error in March and brought it to the council’s attention immediately. As the Argus reported today, the authority has decided there will be no punishment imposed for the lack of the licence – which could have attracted a fine, a six-month jail term for those responsible or both.

Solicitor Jonathan Smith, representing the racecourse said: “It was an innocent mistake. It was not just my client decided to fragrantly disregard [the law].”

Mr Smith said the racecourse will now be under far more stringent conditions than had been previously agreed in its former licence.

The racecourse will now be permitted to hold eight events which go on until 2am in the morning each year – up from the seven Monmouthshire council’s environmental health officers had initially agreed before a licensing committee meeting today.

Chepstow councillor David Dovey said he had no objections to the racecourse holding evening concerts – some of which will bring Simply Red, Will Young and Peter Andre to the town this year – but that he was worried about the noise generated by festivals going into the early hours.

Cllr Dovey added: “The other issue we have got here is the number of staff they have to implement the rules and regulations. I have severe concerns about the number of staff and quality of staff they have to monitor an event of this nature.”

He said the disruption from the Sunrise Festival, which the council received 20 complaints about after it ran from May 29, 2014 until June 2, 2014, had been “absolutely appalling”.

Cllr Dovey said festival visitors come to Chepstow “tanked up on beer and booze…When the performance finishes it does not finish for our residents.”

He said of the racecourse: “They do not seem to take the issues that seriously. They are driven by money they can earn and nothing else.”

But Mr Smith said the racecourse had cancelled the 2015 Sunrise Festival which had been organised for the festival because of noise concerns and was now locked in legal action with its organisers. He also said the venue holds annual meetings for residents.

The racecourse will be required to adhere to conditions as part of its licence to accommodate up to 14,999 people, including maintaining its phone complaints line for anyone disturbed by events there.