A house and techno festival has been granted permission to hold its annual event in Morden Park this summer, despite objections from police, fire and council departments.

The license application was considered and granted at a Merton Council sub-committee meeting yesterday, May 10.

Following the decision to approve the license, Eastern Electric festival shared the location of its new "home" across social media.

Seventeen thousand people, which is less than the originally proposed twenty thousand, are expected to attend the music festival which will open at 11am and finish at 10.30pm.

Merton Police, the London Fire Brigade, Merton public health department, Merton environmental health and pollution department and Merton environment and regeneration department all made representations to the committee against the granting of the application.

The application had been strongly opposed by two of the agencies, including Merton Police and the London Fire Brigade.

The police said that the festival would increase levels of crime and disorder, risk public safety, cause a "public nuisance" and did not go far enough to protect children from harm.

Police said that noise from the festival will be above reasonable levels, and would “ruin” ceremonies booked by seven couples that have booked their wedding ceremonies at nearby Morden Park House.

According to the registry office website, couples pay up to £410 to be married at the Grade II listed stately home.

John Sargeant, councillor for Merton Park ward, is a member of the committee. Following the sub-committee meeting yesterday he said: "The license application was approved with several modifications and an enormous number of conditions.

"I think it is clearly unfortunate that very few people seem to have known about this and although all the necessary publicity and statutory notice was given, it was only when the Evening Standard and Wimbledon Guardian picked up the story that people began to be aware of it."

When asked about the impact of the festival on the weddings, he said: "I was surprised to hear that no-one seems to have thought about it.

"We questioned the noise expert on this and [he said] it was not within his brief to consider this. When the council spoke to [We Are The Fair] about how they will manage the noise, the penny didn't drop that for the couples and their friends and family this was the most important day of their lives.

"It would have been nice for the couples to choose their own background music rather than have it chosen for them."

A Merton Council spokesperson said: “Our Licensing Sub-Committee looked at all the evidence put before them and agreed to grant a time-limited Premises Licence for the festival for this year, subject to a number of conditions and management plans, which the festival organisers will have to put in place for the event to go ahead, so we can be satisfied that they will deliver a safe, secure, and successful event, that Merton can be proud of.

“We ensured that the couples who had arranged for their marriage ceremonies to be on that day were notified as soon as Eastern Electrics applied to use the park and we offered to pay for their ceremony. We also offered the option to rebook an alternative date. Six couples have decided to stick with the date.”