A Statement from Chelmsford City Racecourse

We sincerely apologise to everyone who experienced significant delays and frustration leaving Chelmsford City Live. We deeply regret that the egress process from our car parks on Friday night, in particular, did not meet the standards we aimed for and certainly did not match the fantastic concert experience our guests enjoyed inside the venue.

In preparing for this event, we recognized that getting 24,000 people into and out of the venue would present significant logistical challenges. To address this, we embarked on extensive planning over nine months, consulting with a comprehensive Safety Advisory Group that included Essex Police, Essex Fire & Rescue, NHS England, Essex Highways, and the East of England Ambulance Service. We also engaged one of the leading traffic management experts in the country, supplementing their support with our partners in policing and health and safety. The robust plan developed with their consultation and approval aimed to ensure a smooth and safe flow for all attendees.

On Friday night external road incidents also impacted initial entry, but egress from our car parks was simply not good enough. Throughout the weekend we constantly reviewed our car parking plans, in collaboration with all key authorities, who were present in our control room. We are pleased to report that visitors to Chelmsford City Racecourse on Saturday night, who came to see Duran Duran, were able to depart much faster than the previous evening. On Sunday night we joint-managed car parking with our external providers and visitors were able to leave the site within an hour. We are undertaking a thorough review to understand precisely why those delays occurred and why the plan, despite extensive preparation and stakeholder approval, did not perform as intended in all areas.

We want to assure everyone that we have heard their feedback, we accept we need to improve the poor experience of leaving the venue. Solving these logistical challenges will be part of a longer-term project, inclusive of the needs and opinions of our local authorities and, crucially, our attendees as well as local residents. Our priority remains the safety and enjoyment of our guests who we continue to work hard to provide the best possible entertainment for.

Chelmsford City Live welcomed 45,000 visitors over three days to see world class acts, such as Justin Timberlake, Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers and Olly Murs at Chelmsford City Racecourse.