A CONTENTIOUS Medieval Fair has been uprooted from its Wilmslow site and moved to the Cheshire Show ground because of popular demand, according to its organisers.

The 1425 Fun Day was given the green light by Macclesfield Borough Council to be held on the land off Yew Tree Farm, Clay Lane despite 288 letters of objection and more than 80 opposers at its licensing meeting.

The decision was appealed and organisers Fred Ford and Karl Eckert were due in Macclesfield Magistrates Court today (July 3) until the pair withdrew their licence and upped sticks to Tabley.

The brains behind the controversial scheme, Fred Ford, has said that the decision was made because of sheer size of numbers interested and had nothing to do with the opposition to the site.

He said: "We have withdrawn because of interest and exposure, because of the numbers of applications we have had to look at bigger showgrounds. We have voluntarily handed back our licence but we are planning a scaled-down function for less than 499 people on the Wilmslow site in the near future."

The former Dubai Show organiser claimed they had got the Cheshire Show licence for July 18-19 from 10am to 8pm. He alleged they now have a separate alcohol licence but they "still have to liaise with the police".

He said: "We have had a few anxious moments but we are very pleased that we have struck a deal and we are going ahead. I feel a little bit disappointed in some of the people there (Clay Lane and the surrounding area). We worked to get something reasonable and they weren’t interested. I have been delighted with the police and the council as they have helped us every inch of the way. They have given us every support."

A Macclesfield Borough Council spokesman said: "The organisers have told us the event will not take place on that site. A traffic management plan was needed for the police to approve. The event will not go ahead where it was planned."