Agricultural show needs bigger site

Newark Showground has been a victim of its own success in losing the UK’s biggest agricultural machinery show to Peterborough, it is said.

The Lamma show has grown by 800% since coming to Newark in 1998, and will move to the larger East of England Showground in 2014.

Next week’s two-day show will be the last at Newark Showground.

Mr Cliff Preston, the event director of Lamma, said the show would continue expanding and needed a larger site.

“Basically, we have outgrown the site,” he said.

“We have been very successful and that is the reason we are moving. You could say Newark has been a victim of its own success.

“If we had enough room we would not be leaving. We have had a good time at Newark and no problems in the relationship with the showground.

“But we have sold out this year and had to turn people away. The essence of the show is to keep it low cost for visitors and free for farmers and it is only the continued expansion of the show that enables us to do that.

“We have people coming from Turkey and Lithuania and elsewhere in Europe and we envisage that continuing.”

He said although the show had worked with the highways authorities and council, traffic problems, particularly at roundabouts off the A1, played a part in the decision.

The chief executive of the Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society, which owns the showground, Mr Adrian Johnston, said he was disappointed to lose the show.

He said it had grown from 105 stalls in 1998 to more than 860 this year, and estimated that it brought £3m to £5m into the economy of the immediate area per show.

Equipment sales at the 2012 show totalled more than £50m.

He said: “It is a sad day to lose a show of this magnitude due to our own success. It is a disappointment for the whole town and county and I would go so far as to say district, because it has been so successful.

“We have been pleased to contribute to the success of Lamma and we now have the opportunity to attract other events, which we are determined to do.”

He said he was upset that traffic problems outside of the showground’s control had contributed to the decision and called for more to be done to support the showground in hosting large events.

He said shooting and biofuel events had also been lost for similar reasons.

“I am upset that traffic infrastructure is not good enough to service events of this size here but that is beyond our control,” Mr Johnston said.

“We need support from the highways people and council to ensure the road network is improved so we can continue to attract events.”