Government will not renounce its policy requiring all open air concerts to be finished at 1 a.m. -- despite criticism from two promoters.

But it is possible that at the end of the summer a meeting could be held and the entire matter discussed again.

Anthony Roberts, director of Youth and Sport, was responding to a front page Royal Gazette story yesterday.

In that article two promoters -- Choy Aming and Gladwin Simmons of Dred and Baha -- said the present arrangement was killing the industry and robbing audiences of value for money.

Mr. Simmons and co-concert promoter at Dred and Baha, Andrew Phillips, are circulating a petition on the issue which they intend to present to Premier Pamela Gordon on her return from vacation.

But Mr. Roberts, who last year met with promoters -- Choy Aming and Dred and Baha were both present -- Police Commissioner Colin Coxall and representatives of Corporation of Hamilton and the West End Development Corporation, said Government had no intention of removing the policy.

He said: "We are of the opinion that for this year it will remain in force.

This is the first summer that it has been in force.

"The public have had considerable concerns about outdoor concerts which go until three and four o'clock in the morning.'' Consequently, he said, Government had responded to these concerns by sitting down with concert promoters and the Police Commissioner and agreeing to the one-venue-per-year-format and the 1 a.m. deadline. These regulations came into effect this year.

"We are still early into the concert promotion season,'' he continued. "And we have these two organisations that are already calling for a change in that policy.

"Government does not think any change is warranted just now. We think the policy should go through until the end of the summer and then we can discuss it after its first season of operation.'' In response to Dred and Baha's suggestion that concerts held at Dockyard and Clearwater Beach, St. David's, should be allowed to extend to 2.30 a.m.

because they were not near any homes, Mr. Roberts was dismissive.

"I have already had complaints about the last concert at Clearwater Beach the other weekend. They heard it all the way in St. David's.

"These concerts do present problems in the community. What we are trying to do is balance the needs of the residents to have some tranquillity in the evening with the right of the concert promoter to put on a show.

"The committee felt that one o'clock was a reasonable compromise on both parties' side.'' Moreover, Mr. Roberts said that although the policy was in its infancy it was reaping some dividends because there had been a marked decline in the incidence of complaints.

"We are trying to strike this delicate balance at the moment,'' he added.

"The policy should stay in force until the end of the summer and then we can revisit it.''