MCD apply to council for Kings of Leon concert approval

Concerts promoters MCD have applied to Meath County Council for planning permission for the Kings of Leon Concert at Slane Castle in May. Kings of Leon are the headline act for the 30th anniversary concert at Slane Castle on Saturday 28th May. Tickets, at €79 each, sold out within 40 minutes of going on sale last November. The promoters have indicated that they are planning a number of operational changes at the concert this year in light of a litany of complaints which followed the Oasis gig in 2009. The Dublin entrance route will be widened to allow for speedier processing of patrons as they arrive and an additional emergency access route has been opened. In order to relieve congestion at the top end of the site, the toilets will be relocated and the perimeter will be expanded. A new bus processing area will be created in a field adjacent to the N2 in order to process Dublin Bus and private coach patrons in an orderly manner. A new 'loop' route for Dublin Bus will mean that buses will come out the N2 but return via the M1 motorway for a smoother and faster operation. Private coach patrons will bypass the Dublin Bus patrons via a dedicated route and all private coaches on the N2 will then leave the area via the N2 to minimise the interaction with the Dublin Bus operation. The bus processing area will also have toilets and refreshment facilities for patrons while they wait. This area is part of a wider traffic plan that has been devised following extensive consultation between MCD, An Garda Síochána and Dublin Bus. Car parking will be available on all roads, except the N2, which is being reserved solely for Dublin Bus and coach traffic. Lord Henry Mountcharles has said he is very excited at the prospect of Kings of Leon playing the Meath venue as he is a big fan of the Tennessee-based quartet who, in the last two years, have become one of the biggest bands in the world.