West London park set to be opened up for more big events
In its application, the council, which is also the licensing authority, wrote that more regular events 'brings extra income into the council budget and choice of events for residents'. Hammersmith and Fulham Council was approached for comment.
The existing licence for St Paul's Green, which is on Hammersmith Bridge Road by the flyover and St Paul's Hammersmith Church, allows events between 5pm and 11pm on Thursday and Friday and 11am to 11pm on Saturday, though limited to the October days. The requested variation would see the limit removed, plus an extension of the hours to 11am to 11pm seven days a week.
READ MORE: Inside West London's first ever tulip festival with 400,000 flowers
READ MORE: The beautiful commuter village 60 minutes from London named the UK's best place to live where house prices are actually falling
A representation by the Barclay Road Residents group was filed, objecting to the proposal, noting concerns including the location of the park by the Hammersmith flyover. They wrote: "In theory this might not sound too bad but in practice it could turn into all sorts of things that perhaps are not in the interest of crowd safety, public safety, safeguarding and thus the licensing objectives could be severely undermined and not promoted by either the licence holder or its third and fourth parties contracting out for the event management, event safety, etc."
The pack for next week's (April 23) Licensing Sub-Committee meeting, at which the item is to be discussed, includes a letter from Licensing Compliance Officer Lorna McKenna sent to the residents' group.
In the letter, Ms McKenna wrote that the request for a licence covering Monday to Sunday is to provide greater flexibility, and that the council is not looking to run events attracting more than 499 people 'that frequently'.
She added the conditions attached to the application had been agreed with the Police Licensing Team ahead of submission, and that events held at the park, such as last year's Oktoberfest, require an Event Management Plan to ensure issues such as access are resolved.
"The new licence would allow events to run for over 499 people where space permits," she wrote. "We are limited as to what we can deliver in our parks in the wetter months, and this hard-standing area is a very central location where we can offer a wider events programme to the community and protect our public green spaces during winter months."
Ms McKenna also asked the group if they wished to withdraw their representation, having responded to the questions raised in their objection, or alternatively, if they wished to propose any additional measures to address further concerns. This offer was, however, not taken up, and the representation remained.
Councils across London have been looking to their green spaces in an effort to boost income. Tower Hamlets Council approved plans to increase the capacity of events at Victoria Park from a minimum of 5,000 people to 20,000 at the end of 2023.
The issue is, however, often contentious, with Wandsworth earlier this year withdrawing applications to hold events on Wandsworth Common, Tooting Common and King George's Park.
Don't miss out on the biggest West London news. Sign up to our MyWestLondon newsletter HERE for all the latest daily news and more.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
16 hours ago
- NBC Sports
House Judiciary Committee turns attention to NFL's broadcast antitrust exemption
In the aftermath of the 2024 election, there were stray rumblings that the reconstituted federal government could potentially be conducive to an expansion of the NFL's broadcast antitrust exemption. The opposite could be true. On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee announced on Monday that it has contacted NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the other three major league sports commissioners regarding the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, which created the antitrust exemption. 'As the Committee evaluates the sufficiency of existing law, it has requested a briefing on the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB's participation in the sports broadcasting market and related matters,' the Committee's statement explains. The letter to Goodell begins with a clear indication of the possibility that the exemption will end. 'The Committee on the Judiciary is examining the sufficiency of federal laws related to the '[p]rotection of trade and commerce against unlawful restraints and monopolies,'' it explains. 'Under the Sports Broadcasting Act (SBA), major sports leagues receive broad immunity from antitrust liability for agreements related to the broadcasting of their games on network television. However, the sports broadcasting market has changed significantly since the SBA was enacted, and recent antitrust cases have raised important questions about whether the SBA should be modified or repealed as a result.' In May, the Senate held a hearing regarding the ongoing pivot from broadcast television to streaming. (Goodell was invited to participate, but he declined.) During the hearing, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said the NFL has 'tiptoed up to' the limits of the exemption. Elimination of the SBA would require the teams to sell their broadcast rights collectively, not individually. It would result in, for example, the Cowboys doing a multi-billion-dollar deal for their home games and the least popular teams seeing much lower revenue. That would make it difficult, and perhaps legally impossible, for the teams to share broadcast revenue. Which would potentially splinter the operation into something like one league with the most popular teams, and another league with the least popular teams. So the stakes for the NFL are as high as they can be. Without the ability to sell broadcast rights as a 32-team block, pro football as we know it could dramatically change.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Mass. Legislature sends $259M funding bill, with raises for bar advocates, to Gov. Healey
Massachusetts lawmakers moved to clear a logjam in the state court system on Thursday, sending a $259 million funding bill to Gov. Maura Healey that includes raises for private attorneys who represent indigent defendants. The vote, which came before the state House and Senate, were slated to start an August recess, provides a solution to a vexing issue that had resulted in scores of cases being dismissed and some people released from custody. But it did not come without objections from those lawyers, known as 'bar advocates,' who had accused lawmakers of trying to lowball them. The 'supplemental budget' that's now winging its way to Democrat Healey boosts the advocates' pay by $20 an hour over the next two years, an increase of more than 30% over current district court rates. The bill cleared the Senate on a voice vote on Thursday, according to State House News Service. The House approved it on a 150-6 vote, the wire service reported. Starting Aug. 1, the annual pay rate for private bar counsel would range from $150,000 to $260,000, rising to $170,000 to $280,000 starting on Aug. 1, 2026. The bill also provides a $40 million infusion to the Committee for Public Counsel Services, which will allow the agency to hire more lawyers and reduce the state's reliance on private practice attorneys, legislative leaders said. The Committee for Public Counsel Services is the state's public defender agency. It represents about 20% of defendants who can't afford to hire lawyers. And as a hedge against further work disruptions, the language now under consideration would require bar advocates to enter into contracts that would have to be renewed every two years. The spending plan lawmakers sent to Healey on Thursday "addresses timely issues through key, targeted investments," state House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano, D-3rd Norfolk, said in a statement. 'Critically, it provides for a significant raise for the bar advocates, and takes steps to ensure that the Commonwealth will no longer be over-reliant on the bar advocates by increasing the budget for the Committee for Public Counsel Services by $40 million, allowing them to hire over 300 new public defenders,' Mariano continued. Elyse Hershon, a bar advocate in Suffolk County, slammed the compromise funding language that was unveiled Wednesday, saying she was 'extremely disappointed' in the Legislature. 'We don't consider this a legitimate proposal or a serious one, and it is insufficient to make up for the lack of funds for bar advocates for over 20 years,' Hershon said in a telephone interview. Democratic leaders in the Legislature refused to meet with bar advocates, despite the lawyers attempting to get them to the table for two months, Hershon said. 'They didn't care to understand the problem,' she said. Legislators 'came up with their own solution,' Hershon continued The 'right to counsel' is only words to them," said bar advocate attorney Sean Delaney, who serves in Middlesex and Barnstable counties. 'They don't understand the Constitution, and they certainly don't understand the hard work that our advocates do day in and day out throughout this commonwealth,' Delaney said. On the State House's Grand Staircase on Thursday afternoon, just steps away from lawmakers, he and nearly two dozen other bar advocates rallied to voice their frustrations. 'This state Legislature, specifically, the Democratic leadership, has not disregarded and disrespected myself, my colleagues here and my colleagues in courts throughout the Commonwealth, but they certainly disregarded and disrespected every defendant is entitled to have representation regardless of how much money they have in their bank account,' Delaney continued. Delaney added that 'it's so vital ... to have a lawyer beside you, from the moment you're accused and the moment you're arraigned in district court. You have to understand — 95% of the criminal cases in Massachusetts start in the district court. As time goes on, evidence gets lost or destroyed, and witnesses disappear or die. There's a whole host of things in terms of being able to protect a defendant's rights," he continued. 'Our clients do care, for the short term, where they may be held for a period of time ... [but] they want a lawyer beside them who's going to advocate zealously. Time is the enemy of our clients ... in the long-term, it's very detrimental they don't have a lawyer.' State Rep. Christopher Markey, D-9th Bristol, who'd backed a raise proposal in the lower chamber, said there was no way lawmakers could meet the bar advocates' demand for a $35 an hour raise. 'It is not going to happen overnight. It is a ridiculous request,' Markey said on the House floor, according to State House News Service. 'It is absurd to think we're going to give them a 50% raise. We're providing them a 30% raise within 366 days,' he continued. 'That is pretty amazing. And they should be thanking the chairs of [the House and Senate] Ways and Means [committees]. We should not be inundated with emails, and I'm sure we will, of how corrupt we are.' The midyear spending bill also includes $7.5 million in additional funding for the state's Healthy Incentive Program, which provides healthy, fresh food for Bay State Families, while providing farmers with a way to sell produce. The legislation was a priority for state Sen. Joanne M. Comerford, who pointed to the need for access to healthy food for qualifying families in the face of Republican-backed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program − often referred to as 'food stamps.' 'It really speaks to this critical moment,' Comerford, D-Hampshire, Franklin, and Worcester, told MassLive earlier this year when she unveiled the legislation. In addition, the bill also sets aside: $60 million for home care services $43 million for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) $15.5 million for increasing the security of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards by transitioning to chip cards $10 million for extraordinary cost reimbursements in the EMS system, with $5 million channeled to communities impacted by the closing of Nashoba Valley Medical Center $6 million for veterans' benefits $4 million for the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) crime lab $1 million for the Fair Housing Fund. In a statement, Senate President Karen E. Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk, said the budget bill provides stability 'despite chaos at the federal level.' It 'ensur[es] our bills are paid, practices [es] fiscal responsibility, and maintains [s] access to justice for all,' Spilka said. MassLive Reporters Charlie McKenna and Irene Rotondo contributed to this story. More on Politics Boston mayoral candidates share plans for city's arts and culture economy Mass. Senate passes 'bell-to-bell' school cellphone ban. How it affects you and your child Former VP Kamala Harris releasing 'behind-the-scenes' book on failed presidential campaign Is Trump doing better than Joe Biden? What the latest polls reveal about his support Poll finds voters giving Democrats lowest rating in 35 years Read the original article on MassLive. Solve the daily Crossword
Bloomberg
7 days ago
- Bloomberg
Politics and Trade Collide as Trump Upends African Ties
Welcome to Next Africa, a twice-weekly newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it's headed. Sign up here to have it delivered to your email. President Cyril Ramaphosa is scrambling to contain the fallout from the 30% tariffs the US has imposed on South African imports, the highest levied on goods from any sub-Saharan African nation.
