PLANS to build up to 90 houses in a Cheshire village could signal the end for one of its longest running annual events, residents fear.

For more than 30 years, the Chester Folk Festival has been held in the village of Kelsall, attracting thousands of people every year and uniting communities together in music.

But as housing developers outline plans to build an influx of houses in the centre of the village, fears are growing that the much-loved festival, which is held on the village green every year, could end up being wiped out altogether as there would no longer be any room for it.

Despite residents making their best efforts to compile a Neighbourhood Plan, which would give them a say in what happens in their village, they fear by the time this is ready, developers will have already built on the land.

Anne Britton, who sits on Kelsall Parish Council, said the village as a whole is extremely concerned.

“This could conceivably be the last year of the festival,” she said.

“Granted, the developers have only applied for outline permission which still gives them a while to proceed, but the fact they know we’re trying to get a Neighbourhood Plan up and running, it would make sense for them to proceed sooner rather than later and we just can’t get it done that quickly as the whole process is still in its infancy.

“The folk festival is a major event, an institution, not just for Kelsall but for Chester too, and finding a new site would be very difficult.

“We don’t know if there is anywhere in the Chester area that could provide the facilities.”

Mrs Britton added: “We’re not trying to be nimbyish, we accept that we do have to have some development but the whole point of the Localism Act is that communities have a statutory right to say where these developments should go and we do not seem to be allowed to do that yet which makes a mockery of it all.”

The festival has been a huge success since it began in 1979 on the green outside the old Morris Dancer pub.

It has been a convenient location for the event because of its local amenities including nearby pubs, a main underground sewer line for public toilets and fresh water pipes.

Thousands pack into the village each year for workshops, singalongs, craft displays, children’s entertainment and performances from hundreds of folk bands.

Ged Armstrong, one of the festival organisers, admitted it could be ‘a challenge’ to organise the event if the applications went ahead.

He said: “We face challenges every year and deal with them as best we can. Obviously we hope this doesn’t end up being the case as it will be very challenging but we will just have to wait and see what happens when the application goes in and then look at our options.”

This year’s Chester Folk Festival is set to be held from June 1-4. Visit www.chesterfolk.org.uk for more information.