A REQUEST to site the funfair on Lion Green has been flatly refused by Haslemere Town Council.
Members of the finance and general purposes committee were responding to a request from the organisers to relocate from the Fairground car park, which, they say, has become an unsuitable location.
The committee argued that it would generate too much noise and be a nuisance to residents and could damage the surface of the green.
In a letter to Haslemere Town Council, fair organiser Bernice Wall said: "The car park is getting smaller, various areas are being used for the recycling bin and there is a suggestion of a new library being built, which would disrupt our annual visits while it is being built.
'The car park is also alive with rats as it is being used as an amenity tip."
But members were adamant that Lion Green is an unsuitable location and would become a nuisance to those living nearby."
But James Mackie disagreed: "It's not at all appropriate to put the fair in this location. It will be a week of continuous noise."
His comments were reiterated by Michael Foster and Peter Isherwood, who said that the town council would be unable to control any damage caused to the green's surface.
Speaking after the meeting, town clerk Mike O'Neill added: "The town council has agreed to a circus being on the green, but not the fair, which can attract a different type of person.
"The fair has been held in the car park for many years and I don't think the area is full of rats; that seems an exaggeration.
"You often get them near stations and foliage but not so much in open car parks where there is nothing for them to feed off."
The dates for next year's fairs are May 13-15 May (spring fair) and September 23-25 (autumn fair).