Ministers are being urged by England’s leading countryside charity to toughen up the regulation of festivals in London’s parks following a landmark legal judgement that casts doubt over the future of London’s summer music scene.
CPRE has called on the Government to push ahead stronger “temporal and spatial restrictions” on big events being held in green spaces across the capital to “prevent their over exploitation as commercial venues”.
The non-profit, which was formerly known by names such as the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said festivals in the city should take less than a tenth or one acre — whichever is larger — of available open spaces.
They also said there should be an agreed limit on the number of days cash-strapped authorities can hire out parks and green spaces for large-scale gatherings, including the time it takes to erect and de-rigg temporary structures such as stages and fences.
It comes after campaigners slammed the decision by Summer Events Limited to press ahead with a series of festivals at Brockwell Park — including Wide Awake, which is set to see Irish rap trio Kneecap perform on Friday.
This was despite a successful High Court battle by Protect Brockwell Park — backed by Oscar-winning actor Sir Mark Rylance — against Lambeth Council’s approval of events under “permitted development” rules, arguing that this approach sidestepped the full planning process.
Resident groups across other boroughs are now lobbying their local authorities to "urgently" review festival programmes this year in the light of the judgement.
The Friends of Finsbury Park have told Harringay Council to impose a 28-day limit on festivals such as Wireless and Community damaging Finsbury Park and making it inaccessible to “fed up” locals.
CPRE accused local authorities of “undermining the ethos and accessibility” of public parks for approving jamborees throughout the summer, adding that the public’s right to use green spaces for leisure and recreation has been “eroded”
Alice Roberts, Head of Campaigns at CPRE London, told The Standard: “Huge events in parks are undermining the public’s right to use those spaces, often for long periods, particularly during the better weather months when parks are most popular. We’re calling for the reinstatement of simple limitations which used to govern events in parks.
“It would also stop the ‘race to the bottom’ competition now emerging between cash-strapped boroughs as they try to attract event organisers.”
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment.
