P.LouiseViral beauty brand P.Louise set up its now cancelled Christmas event before applying for planning permission, a council has said.
The Pinkmas event, due to run at Barton Dock Road by the Trafford Centre from 1 December to 4 January, was cancelled earlier this week by event organisers due to “licensing issues”, despite being “almost fully built”.
Trafford Council has said it was not aware that work was under way to set up the event until 16 October, before any planning consent, building regulations or licensing application had been submitted.
P.Louise said it had “underestimated the complexities involved in the planning and licensing process” and took “full responsibility for that oversight”.
‘Out of our control’
Tickets for the now-cancelled Pinkmas event sold out within minutes in June, with a second batch put on sale earlier this month.
P.Louise CEO and founder Paige Louise Williams had taken to Instagram to promise attractions such as a pink ice skating rink, a pantomime performance, and more surprises to come on the day.
And the P.Louise team had promised the festive event would be “bigger than ever” – describing it in promotional posts as “the most iconic event of the year”.
Ticket-holders were first told the event would be held at the brand’s Trafford Centre store, but with the store opening delayed, customers were informed the event would be held at an “upgraded location” on Barton Dock Road, TraffordCity – near to the centre.
Earlier this week, the event was called off due to “issues with the licensing process” and those who bought tickets were promised refunds.
Ms Williams said: “It breaks my heart to share that, due to circumstances completely out of our control, we are unable to go ahead with Pinkmas.”
‘Tight timescale’
Trafford Council has since confirmed a temporary structure had begun to be built before the right permissions were in place.
Council officers then approached P.Louise and spoke to them about the need to apply for a licence and to seek other related approvals, the authority said.
A licensing application was submitted to them on Wednesday 22 October, followed by a now withdrawn planning application the day after.
“For large events, applications should be made before work starts on site and we normally ask for a lead-in period longer than eight weeks,” a council spokesperson said.
They added: “We would have assisted P.Louise with their applications to the Council regarding planning, building regulations and an event licence.
“There was a tight timescale but ultimately P.Louise decided not to go ahead with the event.”
‘Best intentions’
A spokesperson from P.Louise said: “We acknowledge that we underestimated the complexities involved in the planning and licensing process, and we take full responsibility for that oversight.
They said: “Since the cancellation, we have been working closely with the relevant authorities to ensure all future projects are fully compliant from the outset.
“We are truly heartbroken to be letting our community down.
“Pinkmas was created with the very best intentions – to bring joy, magic, and community spirit to Manchester – and it devastates us that we won’t be able to share that experience this year.
“All ticket holders will, of course, receive a full refund, and we are doing everything possible to make that process smooth, quick, and stress-free.”