THE future of a major summer festival next year is in doubt because a new licence is needed to increase its capacity by 10,000.

CarFest launched at Laverstoke Park Farm in 2012, and every year since thousands of people have enjoyed music, cars, food and other entertainment at the event, whilst raising millions of pounds for BBC Children in Need.

But Clare Scheckter, who owns the farm with her husband Jody, told The Gazette that it may have to move location because the organisers want to sell more tickets.

The Scheckters were given a licence to hold the festival by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, which limits the number of tickets which can be sold to 19,000.

CarFest’s sister event held in the north of the country sells 10,000 more tickets, but raises twice as much money for Children in Need.

As a result, Brand Events, which organises CarFest, has asked the Schekters to increase their licence in order to sell more tickets, or it will move the event to a different location.

Mrs Scheckter faced a dilemma as to whether to apply to extend the licence and risk upsetting her neighbours, who were promised the event would not increase in size, or say goodbye to CarFest at Laverstoke Park Farm forever.

A decision was made on Wednesday to apply for a variation of the licence and increase the capacity of CarFest by 10,000.

If approved, this will allow CarFest to stay at its home at Laverstoke Park Farm.

Mrs Scheckter said: “It’s such a safe festival we don’t have any crime or drugs or traffic issues.

"We would like the opportunity to sell more camping tickets because that’s what everyone wants.

"They want a staycation to make the most of everything the festival has to offer.

"We are looking to sell an additional 10,000 tickets most of which would be camping.”

She said the impact on traffic would be minimal, as people arrive and leave at staggered times.

A neighbour has offered the use of his 32 acre field in order to increase the size of the festival by a third.

Mrs Scheckter hopes residents will support her, and said: “We know that CarFest is hugely popular with the local community.”

Last year 2,751 residents bought tickets, more than 800 free tickets were given out to impacted neighbours and 275 local volunteers helped out at the festival, which this year saw acts including Status Quo, Will Young and Ronan Keating perform on stage over the August Bank Holiday weekend.

It also creates employment opportunities for the area.

But Mrs Scheckter said there are a small number of neighbours who are against the festival and do not want to see the capacity increased.

She estimates that CarFest has a positive impact on around 3,500 local people, whereas the number of neighbours who are against the festival is less than 10.

She added: “We think the community would want it to stay.

"We are trying to work with the local neighbours to see if we can change their minds.

"But some have said that they never wanted it in the first place and it must go, it’s the ‘good riddance’ mentality.

"We don’t like to go back on what we said about the capacity but we have said sorry and we got it wrong but we would like them to work with us, not against us.”

Mrs Scheckter said some neighbours believe the Scheckters benefit financially from CarFest, but she added: “My time is free, Jody’s time is free and we give the site for free.

"We do it because it’s a worthwhile charity and it’s such a happy event.

"People say they have had the best time and look forward to it.

"It’s really positive and we get volunteers who come back year after year.

“There were huge fears that it would be 20,000 hooligans running through the countryside but it’s a family festival.

"We don’t have any arrests for people being drunk and disorderly.”

The event has raised more than £3million for Children in Need.

Tickets for CarFest usually go on sale in November, leaving just weeks to apply to change the licence.