PLANS to attract thousands of people to a family-friendly countryside music festival have sparked opposition.

The Just So Festival has been awarded £14,890 from the Arts Council and will be held at Barnswood Scout Camp, at Rushton Spencer, over three days in August.

Promoters have lined up a programme of entertainment for under 13s, including live music, theatre, films, poetry and dance.

They hope to sell 900 camping tickets and 2,000 day tickets for the festival at the 63-acre site, which is the district scout camp for Macclesfield and Congleton scouts.

But neighbours and Rushton Parish Council are concerned about noise and traffic.

An application for a premises licence will be decided by Staffordshire Moorlands District Council on Friday.

A parish council spokesman said: "The council is not against festival, they are just against the large scale of it."

The fire service has lodged an objection to the risk assessment plan, which they claim is insufficient.

The festival is the idea of Macclesfield couples Geoff and Sarah Bird and John and Rowan Hoban, who have set up a community interest company on a not-for-profit basis.

They state in their application: "We hope to attract families who would normally be put off from attending a music festival because of their reputation for late nights, young people over-indulging and crime.

"Everything is designed to be family-friendly. No noise late at night, only families allowed to attend, and programming appropriate for families. A small and intimate family-friendly festival."

Freelance radio journalist Mr Bird said: "We wanted to organise something where everything is for all the family. It is not going to be a loud and raucous event. In the evenings there will be campfires and sing-songs.

"We have chosen bands that parents would like and the children would enjoy."

Camp warden Dawn Hill said: "We have not had this sort of festival here before but we are all looking forward to it. It is a family-orientated event.

"All the different aspects of the festival which the organisers have planned sound brilliant. If the event is a success then we will be up for hosting such an event annually."

The Just So Festival runs from August 20 until August 23.