Brewers Hooded Ram has been granted approval by the licensing court to go ahead with their TT festival tent.

The company’s bid was rejected last year with its application heavily criticised.

This year it is better prepared and has promised international touring artists.

Hooded Ram’s application looked for approval to run its festival event over 14 days from Saturday, May 30, to June 13.

The brewery was supported in its application by entertainment consultants MJR and William Hodgson from Symphotech Safety Consultants.

Mr Hodgson told the court, led by Deputy High Bailiff Chris Arrowsmith, that he had made some ’subtle adjustments’ to improve the safety of the Bottleneck car park venue which would allow for 2,500 people to enter the site and be evacuated in an emergency situation.

This has included allowing just one entrance for the company’s ticketed events and increasing the height of the boundary fence with the promenade pavement to two metres instead of the one metre it was in 2018.

Mr Hodgson also revealed that the venue would be open from 12pm to 6pm most days with a close down before reopening for ticketed shows at 7pm and will include a ’pop-up’ bar away from the main bar to ease service during busy periods.

Joshua Smith from MJR said that, compared with the sites in the UK, the Bottleneck car park was not large but it presented its own challenges.

He told the court that the plan for the events would be aimed at families for practice week while race week would see acts aimed at tourists.

Mr Smith said he could not name the acts Hooded Ram intends to have. But he said that his company was in advanced discussions with artists and promised a ’very exciting’ programme and referred to ’international touring artists’.

He also said that the company would be bringing its bar managers in from the UK to work the event while relying on casual staff from the island who will be ’trained’ by the UK management.

The planned designated official for the site is Charles Roberts.

The court has approved the application but the company will need to reappear in March to provide an update on some safety and event factors and for the application of Mr Roberts to be appointed as the designated official.

Last year the company’s application was labelled ’unprofessional and unacceptable’ by High Bailiff Jayne Hughes when it revealed that no acts, staff or security had been contracted just weeks before the event was supposed to run.

Bushy’s is expected to apply for a licence for a venue at the Villa Marina, while Heron and Brearley will apply to run its Grandstand attraction.