A VISION to promote Chester as a 'city of festivals' has suffered a setback after the body promoting the summer music festival said it would go it alone - for the time being.

The music festival got into financial difficulties this year and it had been suggested a new organisation may be formed to run a number of cultural activities leading to economies of scale for the cash-strapped arts scene.

But businessman David Pickering, the man behind Cheshire Festivals and Fairs Ltd, feels snubbed after Chester Festival Ltd - which runs the music and literature festivals - announced it would run its own affairs for another year.

Mr Pickering said: 'We had an event at the racecourse and there was a great atmosphere. There were 75 people there. I got numerous phone calls and e-mails. It was a great event and I thought it would go forward from there.'

Mr Pickering took it as a personal snub that Mr Wendt, chairman of Chester Festival Ltd, left a telephone answering machine message to explain the decision of the company's board. But he accepts the group has 'every right' to do whatever they want and wishes them luck.

'He said Chester Festivals would do their own thing for another year,' said Mr Pickering.

'Once significant festivals decide to opt out the whole rationale falls apart.'

Mr Pickering said there would have to be a review of what was proposed.

'We are still looking to organise a meeting of the private sector people in the new year at the racecourse,' he said.

Mr Pickering wonders whether Chester Festival Ltd viewed his proposals as a takeover and felt it would lose control, particularly with the Chester Race Company being involved.

Mr Pickering has spoken to city council chief executive Paul Durham who is going to invite the leaders of the three political parties to speak to him about taking his idea forward.

Mr Pickering, who is also chairman of the Rural Recovery Board, wants to unite the local arts and cultural scene with the promotion of tourism and conferencing.

Mr Wendt insisted Chester Festival Ltd still supported the motivation behind Cheshire Festivals and Fairs Ltd (CCFL) but the timing was not right to convert into the proposed company.

He confirmed the city council and North West Arts were not prepared to switch funding to an untried and untested organisation with a larger remit than just the arts.

He added: 'I'm assuming David Pickering will now reconfigure the structure of CFFL. I remain as committed as I did at the racecourse.' Next year's Chester Summer Music Festival has been saved after organisers overcame a financial crisis which had put it in jeopardy.

But the 2005 festival will be reduced from a three-week event to a nine-day venture, with two major concerts over two weekends and lunchtime and evening events in between.

Aimed mainly at classical lovers, it will be organised separately from the Chester Literature Festival and will no longer include outdoor concerts in the Grosvenor Park.

A survival package was put together thanks to a loan from Chester In Concert, plus contributions from music lovers and Friends of the Summer Music Festival which will clear the £25,000 debts.