Comments Received from Brockwell Park Community Partners Stakeholder Groups

Comments received from Brockwell Park Community Partners stakeholder groups

Brockwell Lido Steering Committee

Dear Brockwell Community Partners,

I am writing in my capacity as Chair of the Brockwell Lido Steering Committee (BLSC) to formally express our objection to the Field Day and LoveBox events proposed for Brockwell Park.

The BLSC believes the number of participants and the footprint far exceeds a scale appropriate for a closed event for Brockwell Park and would be highly detrimental to the enjoyment of the park by the general public and local residents. We also think it would be detrimental to users of the Lido who would be impacted by the noise, and would be likely to find access very difficult due to crowds and entrances being closed off.

During the summer the whole of the park is well used by the general public who visit to picnic, relax and play games with friends and family. These events would either force people to stay away or cram into a small section of the park for the whole of July. Access to the playground, wet play area, and ponds would be made more difficult and unpleasant for families as they have to navigate moving vehicles and have a permanent view of 7 foot high fences to enjoy. Most of the grassed area of the park that will be free from the fencing is also unsuitable for playing or picnicking on because it is un-cut and therefore scratchy and unpleasant, especially for young children. The noise pollution from events is likely to be very bad, this might possibly be overlooked by residents if they finished early (Sunfall finished at 10pm) and be a single night, but the proposal states that events will take place on three consecutive nights and that the nights will finish at 11pm. Even after the music stops this will mean people spilling out and being a noise nuisance in local roads well after 11.30pm. Brockwell Park is 60% the size of Victoria Park. Brockwell Park is also surrounded houses, whereas Victoria Park is surrounded by trees and busy roads.

The committee recognises the financial difficulties of funding parks but these events are inappropriate given the location and use of Brockwell Park. Sunfall was a reasonably successful event when it catered to 10,000 people in 2016. In 2017 they increased the numbers to 20,000 and had serious issues with queues and damage to the park infrastructure as well as litter in the surrounding areas. Field Day propose a capacity of up to 40,000 - it is inevitable that these events will cause more serious issues than Sunfall. We ask that the BPCPs and Lambeth reject both applications and only consider future applications that are much smaller in size, scale and potential disruption. Any future events should also require a much higher payment to Lambeth - 50p per person should be viewed as an insult.

Yours sincerely Bianca Ioannides Chair - BLSC

Brockwell Miniature Railway

From: Jrobe87821 > (Brockwell Miniature Railway) Date: 22 November 2017 at 19:04:32 GMT Subject: RE: The Two proposed Festivals I am extremely concerned that again it looks very likely that the railway could fall victim to vandalism with these two major events taking place. Also not happy at all that we may lose the summer operating season in which the railway relies on the customers for the generation of funds to cover our public liability insurance. At the same with no movement on the container it looks as if next year we’ll be closed for most of the busy season. It's bad enough that the country show actively discourages us from operating. Yours John

St Matthew’s Project

From: Lee Dema > ) Date: 22 November 2017 at 18:48:12 GMT Subject: Re: The Two proposed Festivals

The two bids are just cut and paste jobs. To have the Love Box event the weekend before the Country Show is not viable and just shows contempt for regular park users.

The two events allude to being of a similar size to the Country Show, so imagine anyone suggesting a few years ago hosting 3 Country Shows.

Regards Lee

Brockwell Bowlers I am appalled to hear that 2 three day events are to be held in the Park.

I write as a) A park lover... these events inevitably lead to churning up of the grass and damage and litter and the park out of use to for quiet recreational activities. b) A local resident, NOISE!! Congestion!! Removal of parking from Water Lane. c) Chair of the bowls group. That would be 2 more weekends when bowling is disrupted

Heather Bouchier Hayes

The comments below were received by Brockwell Park Community Partners following a mailing of the Pro-Formas for both Lovebox and Field Day.

1. On Fri, Nov 24, 2017 at 3:29 PM, louise fincham > wrote

I write to object in the strongest terms to the proposal to hold these two festivals in Brockwell Park in the summer of 2018. As a daily user of the park I am fed up with the increasing amount of time that large sections of the park are fenced off for large events. Brockwell Park is a local amenity, it was founded as a space for the people of Herne Hill and their dogs, it is entirely unsuited to large events. I resent the loss of the park as an amenity. Many local residents do not have a garden and Brockwell Park is a place for them to go and enjoy some fresh air and peace and quiet. The park becomes virtually unusable in the lead up, during and after events with anti-social behaviour, litter and noise all affecting local residents. The local transport system is put under strain and even local businesses which might gain from the increased number of people coming to the area appear not to support the plan. The previous venue (Victoria Park) for the Field Day festival is a much larger park. Please leave Brockwell Park alone for us local residents to support and enjoy. Please keep me up to date with developments. Louise Fincham

2. On Fri, Nov 24, 2017 at 10:47 AM, Noelle Egan > wrote:

We live in , very close to Brockwell Park which we use on a daily basis. We went to a meeting on Monday called by the promoter of the Field Day Festival ( as a residents' consultation) who confirmed that it has applied to hold the festival in Brockwell Park, over 3 days in June 2018, with 40,000 people attending per day, taking over a third of the park for 3 weeks (20th May to 10th June to include set up and de-commissioning) with walled fences. We understand that Lovebox/Citadel festivals have also submitted an application for an even bigger event July 2018, a week before the Lambeth Country Show. Both have sought to find a new location, having been pushed out of Victoria Park where they have been for many years. There was a strong level of concern voiced by all those present and indeed shock at the scale of proposals for this and other events. Field Day has a fine reputation as a festival (can’t say the same for Lovebox alas), and we are all aware of the financial pressures on Councils. We don’t object to events in principle, but have these four issues relating to Field Day/Lovebox. 1. The scale of these events as proposed is unsustainable. Victoria Park is 70% larger than Brockwell Park and it struggled to manage the pressure of numbers, noise, nuisance, congestion and other impacts on residents that 40,00 people a day brings. Half the proposed size and a much tighter set of requirements for building and de-commissioning timescales for the event might be manageable, but this scale will totally disable normal life in the area for excessive periods.

2. Allied with other proposed events including the locally focussed and very popular Country Show, these further events will virtually exclude locals enjoying the park for significant and unacceptable periods of the summer months - this is simply wrong.

3. The proposed footprints takes up far too much of the area of the park. The space permitted should be limited to a smaller area.

4. The financial recompense is entirely insufficient to allow the benefits to outweigh the adverse implications for the park and residents’ detriment, and an insufficient proportion of the parks levy is directly invested in the park. More income from fewer events should be the strategic model to be pursued on events, using Brockwell Hall more and so on, rather than all these massive events.

I ask that you please use your influence to ensure that the Council challenges or rejects these proposals, and/or seeks to get much better outcomes, including a reduction in scale and greater mitigation of impacts than currently proposed.

Noelle Egan

3. I have heard recent news that there is the possibility of field day & LoveBox moving to Brockwell park in 2018. I wanted to email to raise my concerns about this on a number of levels: 1.Community – you estimate 90,000 people will travel to the event over the weekend. Based on previous events that only ran for 1 night this will have a detrimental impact on the community and its inhabitants. How will you manage transport, litter, drug usage, drinking in the streets and the repercussions this might have on peoples neighbourhoods and homes? What about residents who wish/need to use local facilities and won’t be able to for three whole days? 2. Noise – there have been many complaints over noise at previous Brockwell Park events due to its vicinity to many homes. How will you manage this for three consecutive evenings? What about the local residents especially those with young children? 3.Damage – Sunfall caused awful damage to the park. Benches were ripped up, grass turned to mud and the resulting clean up took days if not weeks – this is a much larger event and as such will only require more time which will limit the use of the park.

I am also cynical in the park’s suitability as a venue on the grounds of last year’s Sunfall event and the complete inability to manage people arriving and getting in which caused numerous health and safety issues.

Kelly Taylor

4. On Fri, Nov 24, 2017 at 10:00 AM, David Mackie > wrote:

I have just been informed of the applications to hold these events. I am a resident of Winterbrook Road, London SE24. I object strongly based on past experience of events run in Brockwell Park- the noise is extremely intrusive, ( past festivals sound as if they are being staged right on our doorstep because of the way the sound carries, and will be all the more disturbing so given the number of days that it is intended to run the events. Furthermore the traffic disruption and parking problems that will go with events of this size will be enormous ( recent experience from the last firework display bears this out). These events should not be staged in Brockwell Park, let alone for the ten years that is apparently under discussion.

David Mackie

5. On Fri, Nov 24, 2017 at 9:35 AM, Alice Thompson < > wrote:

I am writing to express my concerns about the proposed Field Day Event.

I live on close to Brockwell Park and am very worried about the prospect of 3 consecutive days of late night music.

I have a 7 year old who is unable to sleep when there is a late night event in the park. To have this 3 nights on the trot will be very distressing. If the event goes ahead we will be forced to go and stay somewhere else for the duration of it.

From my experience of previous events in the park, I am also very concerned about the amount of dangerous waste particularly broken glass left not only in the park but in the surrounding streets for days afterwards.

I understand the role of the Community Partners in making effective use of the Park but I believe the scale of this proposed event will have a very detrimental effect on my family's well being.

Alice Thompson

6. Pat Price-Tomes

It looks too good to be true in terms of the benefits to the park, and probably is. On the other hand both Lambeth and the park need funds.

I don't like the idea of that huge space being cut off for long periods; however if the July one truly overlaps with the Country Fair in terms of infrastructure etc I'm not strongly opposed.

But to have that massive disruption on a completely separate occasion in June feels like a step too far so I would vote against that.

These are difficult times - reminds me of the controversy among parent groups about whether to fund school things which were technically state/local authority responsibility, because if they don't, the kids will miss out. But funding them reduces the motivation of those responsible. Vicious circle really.

Pat

7. On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 10:57 PM, Alice Gardiner < > wrote:

To whom it may concern, I am emailing you with my objections to the application submitted to Lambeth by Field Day / Mighty Hoopla. As a local resident (living in with four young children, I am very concerned about this application and the impact that it has on myself, my children, my property and all of our safety and security. My concerns are not only with respect to the actual event days but also the disruption the event days will cause before and after the event. Set up for Field Day is proposed to commence on 20 May with the event taking place on the first few days of June and removal / clean up through to 10 June. The park will therefore be impacted for a full three week period, including the full duration of the summer half term school holiday (which will include the event dates themselves). This will mean that my children, their friends and all other children in the wide area that is serviced by Brockwell Park will not have the ability to access and use their valued local park and key outdoor space during this period. My first serious objection to the application is on this basis. I am also deeply concerned about the level of noise disruption that will arise as a result of the Field Day / Mighty Hoopla festival. As has been made apparent during the course of past events at Brockwell Park, noise travels quite some distance and certainly is disruptive where I live. With the event continuing until 23:00 on both Friday and Saturday night and 22:30 on Sunday night, myself and my family will be personally impacted and my children’s ability to rest and sleep will be detrimentally impacted. Their usual bedtime is 18:30 and consequently this event will disrupt 4-5 hours of their sleep per night for each of the event days (a total of 12-15 hours, equivalent to the loss of a full night’s sleep for each of them). The area surrounding Brockwell Park is highly residential and largely family focused and therefore it is not only my children who will be impacted. The noise created by this event will be an irritation for adults but it will also be a significant disruption and disturbance to a large number of innocent children. My second serious objection to this application is on this basis. I am also concerned about the safety and security of myself, my family and my property (car, home, personal belongings) as a result of the event. Whilst I appreciate that the vast majority of people who attend events of this nature have no intention of acting illegally, it is inevitable that not everyone who attends the event, or is attracted to the area as a result of the event, will have honest intentions. I am concerned about sale and usage of drink and drugs during the event itself (in and around the park), thefts, and risks to personal safety (for myself and my children as we seek to go about our day to day business). My third serious objection to the application is on this basis. In addition to the points outlined above, I am also concerned about pollution and litter associated with the event, impact on parking (parking is so limited locally that even a miniscule minority of event goers choosing to attend via car will have a major disruptive impact on the area), and general levels of disruption the event will cause. In summary, I find the proposal for this event to take place in Brockwell Park to be wholly inappropriate and extremely unsatisfactory. I strongly oppose this event application being granted. All I can ask is that I do hope you consider my views when considering this proposal. Alice.

8. jonathan cassels

Have shared the documents with some local friends to try get a measure of opinions. Those that came back to me said they weren’t happy about it, with concerns about the loss of access to large areas of the park, potential damage and noise. Concerns are not aimed at either of the festivals particularly, but more generally at their size and the possibly of this becoming a regular feature of the use of the park.

The organisers proposals are not without positives; At least Lovebox's Mama are expressing commitments to providing opportunities for apprentices and favouring local traders but its seems small compensation for the residents who have to put up with the behaviour of that many revellers coming and going to the events.

If licences are granted and the events go ahead I guess we can only hope that the organisers are as efficient and responsible as they are claiming and we have nothing to worry about!

Jonathan Cassels

9. Joanna Spilman

Relating to all paid events in the park, I would like to see some comparison of the costs these events would incur if they booked into the stadia and arenas already available in London that have the infrastructure in place to hold big events, and the costs they incur for booking into parks.

Parks are clearly their preferred venue for obvious reasons, but are parks truly recognising their value as venues and are they asking for the same revenue as stadia? If not they should.

I think this is worth looking into as a bargaining chip if we have to go down this road. Brockwell Park is worth far more than the o2 as a venue. Jo

10. From: Mick James Date: 23 November 2017 at 10:04:03 GMT Subject: Re: regarding the two proposed festivals

In general I think it is appalling that parents lose access to the park in the summer time. Brockwell Park is surrounded by housing estates and these are mostly flats with no outside space This makes "Field Day" particularly bad as it will disrupt the park for three weeks during the school holidays and this will immediately be followed by preparations for the Country Fair.

The Country Fair is at least reasonably family-oriented whereas most events in the Park seem to be aimed exclusively at young adults. The recent fireworks display had very little for families and was run much more like a music festival than a bonfire night.

All best Mick

11. Paula Donohoe many thanks for this. I'm rather concerned that there is a lot that has not been said regarding Lovebox in the council's assessment. The view that it has been 'successful' for '13 years in Victoria Park' is not backed up by evidence, unless the evidence is simply how much money the event makes. I would like to raise the following concerns;

Concerns regarding Lovebox; 13/07/2018; 14/07/2018 and Citadel 15/07/2018

There have been a number of issues raised regarding the behaviour of security staff associated with the Lovebox event; namely allegations of sexual assault (14 and 15 of July 2017); physical assault; poor treatment of young women and homophobic comments. Lambeth, whilst being an area that prides itself on offering equality, is also an area vulnerable to a high crime rate and with a history of sexual assault and exploitation of vulnerable members of the community. It is increasing the risk to vulnerable young people to have this event in Brockwell Park, it has an atrocious track record regarding safety and serious allegations of serious and predatory crime against its security staff. To hold the Lovebox event will increase risk of predatory sexual and physical assault towards young people and security provided with the event are not to be trusted.

Crime statistics from Tower Hamlets indicated a sharp peak in crime when the Lovebox event took place. Lovebox was closely associated with crime and drugs when in Victoria Park. Lambeth is an area which already has issues with crime and the Police service is compromised due to closure of a variety of Police stations. How will the Lovebox event be Policed? How will crime be managed when the security provided with the event are themselves accused of serious criminal offences?

Whilst the pro-forma indicates that there will be attempts to use the same infrastructure for different events, it does not say to what extent traffic control measures will be utilised. The Lovebox event is likely to increase enormously traffic to the surrounding areas, not only in the formation of infrastructure and business/service activities in the park, but to the surrounding area from visiting attendees. Lambeth is an area with one of the worst Pollution levels in London (Local Authorities Air Quality Report 2017). To hold the Lovebox and Citadel events, additional to events already scheduled, will increase traffic pollution and associated risks to health of local people, it compromises green space area and will increase pollution substantially.

The feedback framework appears to minimize concerns unless they fit into a particular procedural context, with advice from the outset that concerns will not be taken seriously unless they ‘are specific to the event’. Given the events are literally on consecutive days and managed by the same company, hardly a constructive feedback process. Hence please consider my concerns as related to the Lovebox event, the subsequent Citadel risks and numbers are likely to reduce if Lovebox does not take place; however Citadel also brings increased pollution, destruction to Green space, increased crime risk and given the two events are managed by the same company, can we assume they use the same security? Therefore similar risks to young people. These are my concerns, as a local resident I do not want Lovebox or Citadel in Brockwell Park, it will compromise the Park during the dates 13-15/07/18 and in the longer term thereafter, thus also compromising the Country Fair (which is a long held tradition in Lambeth); the Lovebox and Citadel events will increase pollution levels; the events will increase risk of crime to local residents and compromise safety. In the context of Lambeth's reduced Policing and with a particulalry tragic record and service level regarding the safety of children (which continues to be assesed as inadequate), I do not think this event should be held in Brockwell Park. Many thanks for providing the opportunity for feedback. I hope my views can be taken seriously. Many kind regards Paula Donohoe

12. Jeremy Baker

Thank you for this consultation. I am very concerned at the numbers involved which will inevitably impact detrimentally on the surrounding area and disrupt traffic causing yet more air pollution. There is a perfectly good alternative venue at Crystal Palace which would have far fewer adverse effects.

If it takes place can the pollution levels be monitored so that problems are not repeated.

Jeremy Baker

13. On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 10:20 PM, Norman Johnson wrote:

I wish to oppose this potential event coming to Brockwell Park on the grounds of noise, parking disruption , possible antisocial behaviour of event goers in the road in which I live and loss of amenity of the Park during a considerable period. Norma Johnson

14. On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 10:05 PM, madeleine champagnie wrote:

I’m writing to object strongly to the event you are planning to allow at the beginning of June, Field Day & the Mighty Hoopla. From what I understand, this will involve huge amounts of people- up to 40,000, over 3 days, as well as several weeks of set up. Brockwell is obviously in a residential area. How will you guarantee the safety of local residents? How will you guarantee minimal disturbance? This is right in the middle of the GCSE and A level season, and it’s simply not OK to disrupt the sleep of local young people during their exams. Apart from that, there is huge potential for grievous destruction of the park itself and damage to the tranquility of the local environment. Please also explain why there has been no consultation or very minimal awareness raising with local residents? I have already contacted my local councillor about this: please withdraw the permission until a proper consultation with residents demonstrates support for the massive influx of people which you are allowing. Madeleine Champagnie

15. On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 9:01 PM, Jan Korris wrote:

I note the application for this event to be run in Brockwell Park having subsequently taken place at Victoria park north London.

Clearly Brockwell is a Lambeth facility and to be shared with those both within and outside of the borough, specifically Southwark residents.It has strong connections to the community of Herne Hill and the south west of Brixton, hence the Lido is affectionately known as Brixton Beach. The Lambeth Country show has a long history of being our local annual event.

The Friends of Brockwell Park have worked tirelessly to support the regeneration and upkeep of all the park facilities and take joy in sharing their work.

There must be a balance between the pleasure of festival goers and the needs of the locality and those who put work into its care and value its use on a regular basis must have their voices heard, the Friends of Brockwell Park, the local shop keepers and the residents within a mile of the park should be heard.

We live at the far end of Stradella Road, in the summer when events happen at Brockwell Park the sound system and relayed music bounces off the viaduct significantly affecting the use of the garden. I cannot imagine how painful that must be for residents a good deal closer.

I do not believe that extending the usage of the Park for bigger events such as the Field Day and Mighty Hoopla is appropriate. Jan Korris

16 .On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 8:52 PM, Paul George wrote:

I would like to lodge my concerns about the proposal for lovebox to be held in Brockwell Park over three days in July 2018. The local area does not have the capacity to deal with the large numbers of expected attendees, it is a largely residential area and the noise and disruption will be intolerable. The park is a source of great community use which were this to proceed along with other proposals would be unavailable for locals to use and it is likely to cause great harm to the thriving local wildlife.

Paul George

17. From: Jessica Astle > Date: Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 5:13 PM Subject: Brockwell Park event: Field Day/Mighty Hoopla Dear Sirs

As a resident of Lambeth for 10 years and one who lives in close proximity to Brockwell Park, I am very concerned about the planned event Field Day/Mighty Hoopla proposed for Brockwell Park in June.

My objections relate to the following 5 points:

1. Noise: We live close to the park and the music is so loud it is impossible for our two young children to sleep when events are on. It is simply not practicable to keep windows closed at the time of year the event is planned for and as I am sure you can appreciate, the effect of lost sleep for days after is felt by everyone in the family and will mean our children will return from their half term holiday exhausted rather than refreshed. In addition, given Brockwell Park is on a series of hills, noise travels differently to other parks and therefore it is not appropriate for these types of events to be held so close to residential areas. I also note the event is planned to finish at 10:30pm each day. This is too late particularly given the noise that will be generated afterwards as 20k people try to leave the site.

2. Clean up: I am very concerned that Lambeth nor the organisers have the capacity to clear up after these very large events. Numbers cited of 20k people per day are unprecedented in the Park and the surrounding area for the length of time the event is planned for. As it is, there is always litter, excrement and broken glass in the park, Dulwich Road and the surrounding areas after such events which remains uncleared for days and is obviously incredibly dangerous for all the residents including small children who use the park and area every day. That is in addition to the drug paraphernalia left behind (I am sure you are aware of the small child that accidentally stepped on a used needle earlier in the year in the wooded area that abuts Dulwich Road).

3. Numbers and transport: Next I am concerned about how the numbers of people anticipated will travel to and from the events. Herne Hill is an area reasonably well served by overground trains, but the station and road leading to and from the station do not have the capacity to deal with the numbers described here. Similarly Brixton underground is quite a walk and given the choice, I am sure concert goers would choose to use the overground given its proximity which would place that particular station under severe strain, let alone render it unusable for local residents for the times people would use to travel to and from the event.

4. Environmental impact: I am extremely concerned about the environmental impact this could bring to the park. We have lived in the area for 10 years and it has been delightful to see how the park especially the greenhouses and wildflower areas have been developed in that time. It would be extremely disappointing for local residents to have their quiet enjoyment of those facilities restricted during the times the event is planned for, both for set up and the actual event. Similarly I also have reservations about the impact the festival could bring to the flora and fauna that is thriving at that time and also to birds that will be nesting at that time. I assume Lambeth have or will be complying with its legal obligations in carrying out an appropriate environmental assessment of the event’s proposals? 5. Health and safety: I note the length of time it will take to set up for and take down the planned event. During lovebox set up and take down last year, our young children struggled to make their way along the paths they would usually travel along to get around the park as they were blocked either by large lorries delivering items, or items waiting to be set up for the event. Having large lorries in the park at the same time as young children is not safe, and I fear it will only be a matter of time before a serious accident happens.

I would be very grateful if you would take the above points into consideration when considering whether to give consent to the planned event. I am more than happy I elaborate on any of the above points should that be required.

Jessica Astle

18. On Thu, Nov 23, 2017 at 4:36 PM, Anna Wollaston wrote:

We are writing to you to express our concerns about Lambeth Council’s plans to host a number of large scale festivals in Brockwell Park over the summer period, starting in 2018. While we appreciate the council’s need to commercialise their estates, we are of the opinion that the proposed plans will severely impact both, the life of the local residents around the park as well as the condition of the park and wildlife within the park itself.This. This letter is in specific regard to the Field Day and Mighty Hoopla as well as the Lovebox and Citadel events. Given the size and nature of these events (3 days each and daily visitor numbers of up 40, 000 people) we are particularly concerned about the following:

 Loss of amenities: Brockwell Park is one of the main amenities in the area and it is heavily used by local residents, particularly by families with young children, such as ourselves. The proposed plans will see a third of the entire park being inaccessible to residents for long periods of time across the summer – when it is used the most – due to extensive build-up and take-down requirements either side of the main events (Field Day/Mighty Hoopla: 20.05.-10.06. and Lovebox/Citadel: 02.07.-20.07.). Furthermore, the nature of the events (large crowds, loud music, alcohol & drug consumption) will see the park, albeit partially accessible, not suitable for usage for most residents, particularly those with young children during the events. This is straight away followed by the Lambeth County Show (16.-25.07.) which again will see the park partially inaccessible during build up and take down as well as large crowds to the park during the event Itself. This means that Brockwell Park will have major restrictions on 46 out of 67 days between mid May and end of July (incl. a Bank Holiday Weekend and a 23-consecutive day period at the height of summer), leaving local residents a whole 21 days to fully enjoy the park without any loss of amenities or nuisances across 2/3 of the summer months.  Nuisance: This includes reduced bus services, congestion, road closures and re-directed traffic. Furthermore, the large crowds will naturally not stay contained in the park and are bound to spill out and “flood” local facilities around Herne Hill station square, Half Moon Ln and Norwood Rd, further impacting use of amenities for residents.  Health implications: Increased noise level both, during event hours and afterwards – when tens of thousands of people will be leaving the park and passing through residential areas. The event hours are not family friendly, running until 23:00 on most event days, not taking into account the close proximity of residents to the park. Additionally, an acoustics specialist at the recent resident’s meeting noted that Lambeth's assessment of noise restrictions/requirements was inappropriate as it doesn't take into account the hilly nature of Brockwell Park and its smaller size in comparison to Victoria Park which used to host both festivals. This means that sound travel further – we could hear noise from the Lambeth County Show despite living 0.3 miles away from the park.  Parking: Loss of residential parking facilities / being parked in and not able to leave our drive (this happened to us for 5h during the Lambeth County Show this year, which was only a fraction of the size in terms of visitor numbers and duration).  Damage to the park: Given the above outlined situation we are also concerned about the damage to the park itself and its wildlife. Having such large crowds (as well as heavy duty vehicles during build up and take down) constantly passing over a third of the grass area in the park over a 2 ½ months period is bound to cause significant damage to the grass, so that come August and residents can finally use the park without restrictions, there will be very little grass left on large areas of the park. This is even before mentioning the extensive littering and other damage (e.g. to benches, bins, etc) that will be cause by the large crowds. Further concern relates to the potential impact on the park wildlife with a lot of juvenile birds and other animals being vulnerable at that time. We are not convinced that the damage fee of £15,000 per event will be anywhere near sufficient to cover for the damage to the park and surrounding areas.

Overall, we are of the opinion that the commercial value the festival is bringing to the council is offsetting the above listed issues. We would be really grateful if you could raise these concerns with Lambeth Events and give your support to limiting the number of large, non-community events in our precious public space.

Anna and Oliver Wollaston

19. Dear Brockwell Community Partners

I’m writing about proposed music festivals in the park this summer. I live off Tulse Hill with two young children, and a third in the way. We use the park every day for exercise, fresh air and for the children to have some connection to nature. Being able to access the Park daily makes a huge difference to our lives, and to our health! It is a great space, and should be available to as many people as possible, but given it is in Zone 2 in London we do find that it can get very busy especially on summer weekends. The park already feels at full capacity with children playing, people walking dogs, picnics, sports games, family gatherings etc.

I’m therefore concerned about the proposal to host a series of festivals at the park this summer (lovebox, field day and others?), especially if they involve large areas of the park being blocked off for long periods of time. It seems to me that such events would be more suitable for a larger space not so close to central London, where there is already much pressure on space. Hosting a series of these events would cause real detriment to local residents, especially those who don’t have the means to travel easily to other green spaces.

Please do contact me if there’s anything I can do.

Kind regards

Claudia Thomas

20. On Sun, Nov 26, 2017 at 11:22 AM, David Sampson > wrote: I am troubled to hear about what appears to be a large increase in the amount of fenced off/money making events that are going to be taking place in the Park. From what I understand these will be very disruptive to what should be a public space for the use of local residents and others and may also effect local business’s in adverse way. Just as the Park has been such a beautiful place to be it would appear that we won’t have full access to it for many of the summer months Yours D Sampson

21. On Sun, Nov 26, 2017 at 8:22 AM, Jane Ross-Macdonald > wrote: To whom it may concern:

I am a Herne Hill resident and deeply concerned about the plans for this proposed event in Brockwell Park.

The likely impact on local residents and business would be enormous. I use the park every day with my children and dog and would be restricted in doing so. There is no other park in easy walking distance. Every event causes damage to the park and this event with the extra footfall anticipated will no doubt cause churning up of the ground which will take time to repair, which means the impact will last longer than the days of the festival itself. The rubbish and food left behind is injurious to residents and dangerous to dogs. This is a small village-style area of South London with appropriately-sized shops, cafes and other amenities - it is entirely unacceptable for a large event to be held here. Added to this the noise and stress levels, the influx of hordes of people and the likely criminal activities/drug use/antisocial behaviours this will lead to, and I wish to object in the strongest terms to this event going ahead.

I note in addition that there was a meeting to discuss this on 20th November. It was poorly advertised and I only heard about it after the event. Many of the people affected will be in Southwark although Brockwell Park is just over the border in Lambeth so I am copying in the Councillors for Southwark as well as Lambeth.

Kind regards Jane Ross-Macdonald

22. On Sat, Nov 25, 2017 at 6:35 PM, Jane Ruby wrote: Dear Partners,

I am a disabled user of the park with an assistance dog. The park is the only place I feel safe and don't suffer panic attacks brought on by crowds and noise. My dog is also a rescue dog and has been through much abuse and trauma. I am a musician and enjoy music. Whilst I have no objection to small events that do not make huge swathes of the park inaccessible to those that enjoy the park no matter the weather. The proposed events will increase the footfall to up to 40.000 people. The noise will seriously affect all living things in the park and the surrounding residents. The ground is quite unstable when it rains making many areas swampy. Increased footfall will make these areas unusable for a long time. Recent events have not provided enough toilets and I can confirm that we were picking up human excrement for weeks afterwards. A memorial bench and the children's railway were ripped up. Surrounding residents were subjected to festival goers urinating and poohing in their gardens. Unnacceptable levels of waste were dumped inside and outside of the park.

Please help us to make future events considerate and responsible .

Thankyou,

Jane Beaumont

23. On Sat, Nov 25, 2017 at 5:57 PM, Corinne Clarkson > wrote:

Dear BPCP

I am writing to you to object to Lambeth council allowing the hosting of large commercial festivals such as Love Box & Field Day in our public Brockwell Park in 2018.

Large scale commercial events such as this which will see up to 40,000 people per day using the park and large areas of it fenced off for weeks during the summer for set up, festival event & set down bring no benefit to the park or local community who have not been consulted on the issue of hosting it

I am concerned that the flora & fauna of the park which is a local biodiversity hotspot will be damaged by the large number of people trampling over it & by the large volume of alcohol, litter & urine they will inevitably spread over the park. The park has already sustained permanent damage from other smaller festivals held there in 2017.

In addition the high levels of noise nuisance, loss of public access to the park, adverse effect on peoples physical & mental health that this loss of access will result in and the open drug use & anti-social behavior that has accompanied other similar festivals (e.g. Sunfall) is not acceptable in our public park and the residential streets surrounding it.

No sustainability or environmental impact assessment appears to have taken place in relation to these two huge events and the local community does not want to host them or lose access to a vital community resource (our park) in order for Lambeth Council to profit while we lose out.

I ask you as our Council to put the needs and rights of residents of the borough before the commercial interests of private events companies who offer nothing to the community and will merely abuse our public spaces for profit while we are denied our right to access & quietly enjoy our only green space for the summer.

Many Thanks

Corinne Clarkson

24. On Sat, Nov 25, 2017 at 4:38 PM, Stella Maris Fabiane wrote: Hello Brockwell Park community partners,

It has come to my attention that there is a possibility that some large festivals (20,000+ attendees) will take place at Brockwell Park over the Summer. I am referring specifically to Field Day, Lovebox and Citadel, but also to any others that would attract very large numbers of people.

I would like to register my severe objections to them.

Festivals with such large numbers of people take far too long to set up and take down and occupy a large part of the park, making them a right nuisance to regular park users. They will happen during the Summer when the local users actually need and use the park. These festivals would be extremely disruptive to not only users but to local wildlife too.

They disrupt local life, making the residents' lives miserable during the festivals too: it becomes difficult parking close enough to our own homes, the noise and annoyance from the music (they do not play the type of music everyone likes) go on until very late. I live right next to the park and do have problems with the consequences of large events.

There is no amount of compensation that would allow me to tolerate lack of sleep because of someone else's party. Filed Day, Lovebox and Citadel are effectively very large parties and they are grossly oversized for Brockwell.

The festivals are local eyesores, and even though they officially occupy one-third of the park area they take over the entire park during their active period and make it dreadful for the local regular users. There is always the extreme unpleasantness of drug users, excessive drinking, vomiting on the streets, and general antisocial behaviour (littering, for example - the cleaning afterwards takes ages to sort out). Adding to that, there is also the possibility of the destruction of some park assets: last year some memorial benches at Brockwell were destroyed.

I am also very concerned about the consequences of such large events - and the number of them at Brockwell - on the local wildlife. I would not want to see the cygnets or the ducklings disappear from the park because of them.

I enjoy the Country Show, but I believe this is the only event of such a size to happen at Brockwell. It is also a great community event, which is definitely not in the same spirit as those music festivals.

Yours sincerely,

Stella Maris Fabiane

Dear Suzy,

Response to proposal for Field Day Festival in Brockwell Park I understand that you are coordinating responses to the consultation in respect of the above. My response in as follows.

Firstly, I accept that the impact of government cuts on the Council requires an innovative approach to generating income. I also support a creative approach to park events provided that these enjoy community consent and are proportionate and practicable in scale.

I object strongly to this proposal, which however appears symptomatic of an increasing trend by LBL to privilege the commercial opportunities that it now sees Brockwell Park as representing, over the rights and wishes of the local communities who live around the park and who constitute its regular users. I have an ever stronger sense that the Council is justifying its obvious commitment to capitalizing the income represented by festivals through processes of ‘community engagement’ which, in that they will not be allowed to impact the substantive decision on which communities are being invited to engage, are cynical and specious. In the hope that I am wrong on this and that there is genuine value in contributing to the engagement, I nevertheless offer the following observations on the Field Day proposal.

 In that the proposal is for Brockwell Park to become the regular annual home to Field Day, there will be some pressure to set a positive precedent. If the festival encounters no problems, this will be taken as a green light for annual Field Day festivals and once this becomes established, there is high risk that the incentive for compliance will diminish.

 A festival with an intended crowd of 40,000 is bigger by a significant margin than that which the fabric and infrastructure of Brockwell Park should be expected to sustainably accommodate. Accordingly, there is a strong likelihood of damage to the park which will impact on its regular users in ways that are unacceptable and there is no evidence that LBL has the capacity or capability to ensure enforcement of any requirement to rectify such damage in a responsive or timely way.

 A crowd of 40,000, however well managed, will create levels of disruption, congestion and public transport pressure that will impact adversely on local people and the environments in which they live; these are communities already subject to disproportionate pressures of pollution, from noise, traffic, parking, and vehicle emissions. This festival will add unacceptably to these pressures during the event itself and in the build and dismantling period.

 At three weeks, the period from build to dismantling is unacceptable; the right of users to enjoy the park in multiple ways will be removed for a large period of late Spring, one of the most desirable periods during which to use the park and the most precious for wild life regeneration.

 The proposal prioritises regional or national access for commercial gain over that of local people. The comparison with the more local Lambeth Country Show in order to justify the argument for crowd size is disingenuous; the Country Show is intended as a borough wide or South London event, not one that attracts people in impracticably large numbers from much further afield. Unlike the proposed event, it is also diverse, inter generational and heterogeneous in the activities that it offers.

 There is little historical evidence that new income generated through park activity is directly and reliably recycled into protecting and maintaining the infrastructure of the park thus obviating one of the arguments for the commercial necessity of this event.

 Parks are essential to the wellbeing and mental health of diverse individuals and communities. This proposal will reduce the opportunities that park users have to utilize the considerable and precious assets of Brockwell park and will therefore reduce the value of the park in protecting people’s wellbeing and mental health. Furthermore:

 The attractiveness of park and its amenities is, in large measure a function of partnership between the Council and the many local people who give their time voluntarily to maintaining and supporting aspects of its infrastructure such as the gardens. The proposal jeopardises the trust and good will on which this relationship is, and needs to be based.  If the proposed festival goes ahead, it will contribute to creating a precedent for changing the precious character and culture of the park forever.

David Morris and Daphne McKenna ,

26.

Dear Suzy,

Response to proposal for Love Box - Citadel Festival in Brockwell Park

I understand that you are coordinating responses to the consultation in respect of the above. My response in as follows.

 In that the proposal is for Brockwell Park to become the regular annual home to Love Box, there will be some pressure to set a positive precedent. If the festival encounters no problems, this will be taken as a green light for annual Love Box festivals and once this becomes established, there is high risk that the incentive for compliance will diminish.

 The period from build to dismantling is unacceptable; the right of users to enjoy the park in multiple ways will be removed for a significant summer period, one of the most desirable periods during which to use the park.

 There is limited historical evidence that new income generated through park activity is directly and reliably recycled into protecting and maintaining the infrastructure of the park thus obviating one of the arguments for the commercial necessity of this event.

 If the proposed festival goes ahead, it will contribute to creating a precedent for changing unacceptably, the precious character and culture of the park forever.

David Morris and Daphne McKenna,

27. Response to Field Day and Mighty Hoopla, LoveBox and Citadel festivals From Lucia Daniels, resident in

This consultation is welcomed and clearly a lot of thought and planning has gone into this proposal. It indicates that the event organisers are keen to engage with the local community and are experienced at winning bids and putting on shows of this calibre. It also confirms their track-record in delivering events elsewhere.

However well run elsewhere, the scale of this event in Brockwell Park, (which significantly differs to Clapham Common or Victoria Park, due to its layout, features and access) is bound to have more cost than benefit in terms of quality of park life. I therefore have some serious concerns and it would be helpful to have answers from the event organiser and Lambeth Events team to the following questions: 1. To what extent have all the cost/benefits of hosting such an event taken into account all the staff hours of Lambeth park, health and safety etc and other providers such as police and fire service, as well as the event team been accounted for in terms of time spent over the financial year in coordinating both the event and meetings regarding proposals and planning? It is understandable that service providers want to work with event organisers who are ‘tried and tested’ but I remain unconvinced that the surplus profit to the council once all the true staff costs are taken into account, provides significant and realistic income, over and above covering its own costs. Is this the only way to raise funds to help manage parks? Or would now be a timely moment to review if the cost benefits really add up or is the tail wagging the dog here?

2. This leads on to questioning the rationale for Lambeth’s ‘event strategy’ and it would be interesting to get a clearer view of what the overarching vision is. If it is to make Lambeth ‘the Borough of Choice’ for events catering to a London/nationwide market, then it may well be broadening its already very wide brief by pressing the park into use for this purpose. If it is to fund the ongoing costs of running the parks, then the contribution to parks maintenance in the form of a levy appears very small, set against the impact on the park and staff time managing the park during the event and liaison with the organisers. Or, if the event strategy is that events of this kind are worth the cost as part of helping to fund the free Lambeth County Show, what might be the possibility of reviewing the now very costly County Show in its current format? According to the County Show website’s figures from 2017, each visitor was subsidised by c£2.39 each. The visitor survey suggested that c58% of visitors came from outside Lambeth, meaning that c87,000 non- Lambeth residents were subsidised by the council to a tune of c£207,930. Previous years have indicated that local businesses do not benefit from the event significantly and bearing this in mind, the cost seems extremely high.

3. Transport links in the area are already strained under normal circumstances – Brixton is always teeming and the buses up to Tulse Hill and Herne Hill overflowing with regular travellers. In what way will this event contribute to enhancing, rather than worsening conditions?

4. How will the event add to the peaceful enjoyment of the park and outdoor space for Lambeth residents? It is scheduled to take place during the c17 weeks of the year between 1st May and 31st August, when the weather is at its best and families can make best use of Brockwell Park for its primary role of offering respite from city living, an opportunity for exercise, relaxation, play for wellbeing. Not running this event will not significantly impact on any of the above, but the disruption of the event, during this key part of the summer season, will detract from the local populace’s enjoyment of the space for up to three weeks, taking into account set up and dismantiling. This represents a loss of about 15% of summer peaceful play and relaxation time, while the park is in ‘event mode’ even before taking into account the negative impact in terms of noise, crowds and transport disruption.

I look forward to hearing responses to the above questions but until then, remain opposed to tis proposal which, when added to the other major events planned for the summer, amounts up to a minimum of 30% of time disrupted during peak (1st May-31st August) warm weather enjoyment of the open space. This seems counter to the primary purpose of the park as a place of peaceful relaxation, play and enjoyment and therefore cannot be supported, especially given the relatively low pay-back in terms of direct financial benefit to the park.

Finally, while appreciating the concept of consultation, it is disappointing to see the events team pursuing the notion of 8 days of events in the park. It would seem that the views of locals have been over-ridden in this respect and leads me to wonder, in the context of council cuts, about how it is possible to justify the running of costly consultations if the results are then ignored.

28.

CJ Faucher

Apologies for the late response but I had hoped to raise this at the next BLU Committee mtg but now realise that it is on the day you wish to receive all responses by.

My daughter and her friends used to attend LoveBox events and even they are admitting that Brockwell Park is totally inadequate for the number of people that will decend on the park.

I truly hope that sense prevails and Lambeth opens their eyes to the wider implications of approving such an enormous event in Brockwell Park.

In my opinion, no amount of money paid to the council can ever repay the untold damage that is likely to result from the proposed event in the park.

CJ.

29.

Yvonne Levy I object most strongly to this proposed events and am appalled that it is being promoted online and in press (see piece in Time Out) when we are told we are being consulted. My reasons for objecting are:

 reduction or even loss of vital amenity. Park provides respite and escape from urban environment (air and noise pollution, traffic, stressful streets etc). People use the park for many different reasons but for the majority it acts as their back garden, where they can connect with nature, relax, meet friends and family, take children, walk dogs, exercise and play sport etc etc. This event and the setting up and taking down periods will seriously reduce this amenity. The summer months are when this amenity is crucial to local people.  the visual blight of fencing  vehicles disturbing the peace of the park and surrounding areas. Bringing noise and air pollution into the park.  potential damage to the park  unacceptable noise during the event affecting local residents AND people in the park. This will make the whole of the park unusable, not just (!) the fenced area  damage and disturbance to wildlife  disturbance to local areas from enormous influx of people.  negative effect on public transport  increase in heavy vehicles for two to three weeks adding to congestion, hazards to pedestrians and cyclists, and pollution.  above all, this is NOT what parks are for. They are for the well-being, mental, spiritual and physical of local people. They are not cash cows. Or should not be!

30 Claire O'Neill I am a resident at .

I work in the festival industry and understand their functioning in great depth.

I also enjoy the park immensely as a regular place of beauty and respite which bring a huge amount of wellbeing.

On the whole I am supportive of events taking place on Brockwell Park. They should be professionally managed, put the protection of the park and involvement of the local community top of the agenda, and very importantly Lambeth Council should be transparent about costs and income for the use of public spaces, honest about the challenges, and openly share measures for mitigation and prevention.

Managed, shared and presented well, these events could be of great benefit to Lambeth AND the Local Community whilst protecting the natural space and resources we are lucky to have.

Claire

31 Shelley Silas I can’t find the info about the two impending park festivals, so I am sorry I cannot respond to each individually, but I strongly object to both. The park must be respected, Lambeth must not priortise their finances over the wellbeing of the community and our park. The events held this year were a disasters for everyone, with people throwing up in gardens and pissing everywhere, let alone the issues of litter. Safety is also a concern. It’s a total and utter disgrace, but not surprising as Lambeth’s Labour councillors are acting more like Tories every day. NO.

Shelley

32a Mark Gravil

From: Mark Gravil & Mary Crisp,

Whilst broadly in favour of events in the park, particularly those with a local bent such as the Lamb etc Country Show etc, we are roundly against the proposal to stage Love Box/Citadel in Brockwell Park. We object on a number of counts:

1. The scale of the build. It appears, from the supplied literature, we will lose up to 2/3 of the park during the height of Summer.

2. The timescale. At almost three weeks (19 days - 02/07/17 to 20/07/17) we find this amount of time out for large part of our local green-space unacceptable.

3. The noise levels going on for three days, until 23:00/22:30. This is not open land in the middle of nowhere, this is a municipal park with housing right up to the boundary on all sides.

4. The numbers. Up to 120,000 over the three days. Mary and I have both attended festivals over the years, and know how much damage can be done inadvertently, with no-one at fault. If it rains this many people will turn the fields into a mud bath. The wildlife areas (ponds, gardens, hedgerows, wildflower patches), playgrounds, and infrastructure, which have had so much, time, effort and money spent on them over the last seven years, stand every chance of being damaged through sheer weight of numbers (numbers fuelled by licensed alcohol outlets).

5. The difference between the audience for this event, and that for the Lambeth Country Show. It is not an insignificant to point out that a large proportion the attendees at the LCS are local friends and families, drawn from the bordering streets and surrounding area (Brixton, Herne Hill, Tulse Hill etc), and people regard it as their park (note the amount of community, stands, stalls, performers etc at the LCS). This cannot be said of the expected crowd for this weekend, and as such, we can’t expect the park itself to be held in the same regard.

These are our views, and we hope that they will listened to along with those of the vast majority of our neighbours, but, having just visited the festival’s website (http://loveboxfestival.com/tickets/), we note that tickets are already on sale for all three days. So, suspect this may well be a salve to a fait accompli. We hope not.

Adeline Drabble >I would like to add my own comments, as a homeowner and resident on , that I am against the approval of both applications. My key arguments are as follows below. These arguments apply to BOTH festivals and can be added to your response to both applications.

Brockwell Park is a public park space, not an income-generating festival venue: Do Lambeth Council or the event organisers intend to turn other local parks into revenue generation streams, instead of their intended use as public spaces which bring considerable health benefits to the local and wider London population? If so, where will this revenue be invested to return the public damage caused by the event(s). This should be accounted for and confirmed in writing before Lambeth Council make any decisions regarding either LoveBox or Field Day festivals. Brockwell Park already at capacity: We already have a number of events on Brockwell Park every year, in 2017 these included Lambeth County Show, Fireworks' Night, and numerous travelling fairs. These events already take up a large proportion of the space in the park on summer/autumn weekends, which would otherwise be space that can be enjoyed by all users out in nature and the fresh air. Brockwell Park is already at capacity with the space and time occupied by these events, and does not have the capacity to host two additional events in 2018.

Protracted build-up and take-down periods for new event(s) ruining the park: Both event A (LoveBox/Citadel) and event B (Field Day/The Mighty Hoopla) are events with a protracted build- up and take-down period, each estimated to take 3 weeks. This is an additional total of 6 weeks over the summer months during which the park will be occupied and therefore- the natural environment, peace and quiet, and fresh air - spoiled for all those who use the park. This affects both local residents and other London city dwellers who travel to Brockwell Park to enjoy the green surroundings and quiet. Even if the park remains open for the majority of the build-up and take-down period, the park cannot be used at the same capacity and in the same relaxing way, as if events were not being constructed or destructed.

Noise and disturbance in the local area: We already have a number of events which bring unwanted noise pollution, traffic pollution and congestion, and social disturbance into the local area of Brockwell Park. Both event A and event B would further exacerbate this issue over two summer weekends. I myself have personally been subjected to verbal abuse and threatening behaviour on my own front driveway from intoxicated attendees of festivals which currently take place on Brockwell Park. In addition, during 2017 events on Brockwell Park my household had to go away for the weekend to avoid the excessive noise pollution coming from the music in the park. Event A and event B would undoubtedly add to this issue.

No doubt you will have received the opinions of many others along these lines - and I am sure there are a number who will not come forth to oppose the plans. Please do feel free to contact me if you require elaboration on any of the above.

Adeline Drabble Home owner and resident,

34.

Ray < >

We live in . We would strongly oppose the application for both Fieldday and Lovebox.

We already have one large festival (Lambeth country show). Whilst we appreciate the need to raise funds for the park, we do not think that large scale music festivals is the appropriate way. The impact on the local community will be huge. We live right by the party and the noise levels will be too high and will continue long before and after the scheduled times. We will have streams of people walking up our road, making noise, throwing rubbish and urinating. The local infrastructure will not be usable and the transport system will be locked down. It will cause devastation to the local community and the park.

Please apply these comments to both. Both are large scale music events between 25000 to 40000.

Note that it was reported that crime rose 155 per cent when Lovebox events were held at Victoria Park. http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/politics/no-love-lost-as-lovebox-festival-quits-victoria-park- for-south-london-after-13-electric-years-1-5299352 Raymond Chan Helen Kirkpatrick

35.

David Morris

Response to proposal for Field Day Festival in Brockwell Park

 If the proposed festival goes ahead, it will contribute to creating a precedent for changing the precious character and culture of the park forever.

David Morris

36 David Morris Response to proposal for Love Box - Citadel Festival in Brockwell Park

I understand that you are coordinating responses to the consultation in respect of the above. My response in as follows.

 The attractiveness of park and its amenities is, in large measure a function of partnership between the Council and the many local people who give their time voluntarily to maintaining and supporting aspects of its infrastructure such as the gardens. The proposal jeopardizes the trust and good will on which this relationship is, and needs to be based.

 If the proposed festival goes ahead, it will contribute to creating a precedent for changing unacceptably, the precious character and culture of the park forever. David Morris

Some neutral/positive comments

2. From: Clare Ballard-Yawson Subject: Re: R&G-Brockwell Park Festivals Hi, My only comment is that I think events should finish at 10pm if there is live music. Clare.

3. Personally I do not have a problem with these two festivals in the park as long as the event is well policed, there is adequate transport routes out of the festivals and the clean up operations are swift and the public still have access to other areas of the park. On the question of noise, fortunately for us on Trinity Rise the noise and disruption are negligible. Does the LoveBox event clash with Lambeth Country Fair? I think if the council want to make money out of the park they could consider as a sign of good will make fireworks night free again and turn it back into the community spirited spontaneous event it once was free of commercial clutter. They could also limit the amount of events in the summer period- say three only, one of which is the country fair. From my understanding of festivals through my kids there is usually an army of young people who gain access to a festival in exchange for marshalling or cleaning up afterwards. This could limit the time there is a mess afterwards. Finally it would be good to know other money making plans the council have for the park. Is the money earned from the festivals going to be put back into the park. We all love living round such a fantastic green space on the edge of a very urbane environment and want it protected and preserved. We don’t live in the country here, in fact having a decent festival on the doorstep sounds great to me. I enjoyed the park as a parent of small children and now of older children who relish having easy access to the night time economy of the area. Are a couple of weekends in an entire year really a problem? Is The set up and pull down really going to prevent people say walking to stations to work or getting to the playground or the cafe? I look forward to hearing more about the outcome.

Lisa Kosky