Shrewsbury Town FC has been granted a premises licence which could help pave the way for more “world class” artists such as Elton John to perform at its stadium.

Officials at the Greenhous Meadow applied to Shropshire Council for the licence which would allow them to stage up to three concerts a year at the ground in Oteley Road. The closing date for the application was March 07, 2011. No objections were received by midnight, and the application was granted on March 8, 2011.

Ian Bebbington, commercial operations manager for Shrewsbury Town FC, said although the licence would give them more flexibility they were still unsure how many similar events to the Elton concert would be held in the future. He said: “This application would cut out the amount of administration work and in the future if we want to hold a Friday and Saturday night event it would cover it. The club only has a short window to stage anything like the Elton concert, basically the first two weeks of June. For us to do it in the future it would probably have to be a world class artist who is capable of filling the stadium with 17,000 people.”

Mr Bebbington said the club was not planning to become a major concert venue like the NEC. He said that the club was keen to ensure this summer’s concert on June 12, 2011 was a success. Mr Bebbington said that under a Section 106 agreement, signed when the club received planning permission for the stadium, it has to apply for temporary planning consent for such concerts. Elton’s concert at the Greenhous Meadow will be the star’s first in Shrewsbury.

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