The Little John's Farm site in Reading has been put on the market by its owners for £1.5M, and dependant on who buys it and for what purpose, it could see the end of these festivals in the town.
The site has gravel and sand worth millions beneath the surface, and it's possible it could be bought to extract this, and then as a prime site near the river, the land restored and developed for luxury housing.
Reading Festival has been based in Reading since it moved there from Plumpton Racecourse in Sussex in 1971 at the invitation of the council and the Chamber of Commerce to celebrate the town's 1000th anniversary, in the days when it was the NJF Festival. WOMAD has been based in Reading since 1990.
Melvin Benn of Reading Festival organisers Mean Fiddler thinks there's only a small chance they could be forced to move, but admitted they're looking at alternative out of town sites. Mean Fiddler have a lease for the site until 2010, and Melvin said "the festival has a secure location for six or seven years" but did conceed that if a new owner made things difficult a new location would be found.