London's Brockwell Park music festivals to proceed despite High Court ruling

Daily Mirror

20-05-2025

Despite a successful legal challenge against Lambeth Council, South London's Brockwell Park is still set to be the venue of back-to-back music festivals this summer, including City Splash and Wide Awake
Music festivals at London's Brockwell Park are set to go on as scheduled, despite a recent High Court decision concerning planning permission. The park, located in London's Lambeth borough, is the venue for the popular event series Brockwell Live which features six festivals and events, including: Wide Awake, Field Day, Cross the Tracks, City Splash, Brockwell Bounce, Mighty Hoopla, and the Lambeth Country Show.
Last week, local resident Rebekah Shaman of the Protect Brockwell Park group won a legal challenge against Lambeth Council regarding the use of parts of the park for this year's festivals, kicking off on May 23. Protect Brockwell Park has been vocal about the negative impact that festivals have had on the park, issuing an open letter to Lambeth Council calling for an end to 'large-scale, unsustainable events' that are 'damaging the ecological fabric of the park'.
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Shaman's legal challenge brought into contest Lambeth Council's assertion that the planned use of the land was lawful, given that the 37-day duration of the festivals exceeded the 28 days allowed for a temporary change of use. Mr Justice Mould branded the council's decision to certify the planned land use as lawful "irrational" in his High Court ruling on May 16.
Following the judgment, lawyers representing Shaman and the Protect Brockwell Park group demanded that the council confirm the cancellation of the events and remove any related infrastructure, claiming that Brockwell Live lacked planning permission.
However, a spokesperson for Brockwell Live subsequently clarified that all events will proceed as intended. Lambeth Council also stated that Summer Events Limited, the festival organisers, have submitted a fresh application for planning permission.
The Brockwell Live representative announced: "Brockwell Live can confirm that all events in the series will go ahead as planned, including the Lambeth Country Show."
The full statement, now on the Brockwell Live website, explains that the High Court ruling "dealt with a particular point of law and whether an administrative process had been carried out correctly." The statement continues: "We wish to make it clear that no event will be cancelled as a result of the High Court's decision."
"We take our stewardship of Brockwell Park seriously. As we prepare to deliver these much-loved, culturally significant events, we remain fully committed to its care, upkeep, and long-term wellbeing. With set-up nearly complete, we look forward to opening the gates and welcoming festival-goers later this week."
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Lambeth Council also confirmed that it is working to ensure the Brockwell Live events go on as scheduled, and that organisers are taking all the necessary steps to obtain the appropriate permissions. Lambeth Council stated: "Summer Events Limited has applied to Lambeth Council for a new certificate of lawfulness, for 24 days, following the High Court ruling last week on the previous certificate. The council is urgently considering that application. That consideration does not stop the events proceeding."
Before the hearing on May 15, Protect Brockwell Park said they are "not anti-festival, we support well-run inclusive events", but that the festivals cause damage, including to the grassland and trees.
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Mr Justice Mould said that his decision was only about "the lawfulness of the decision to grant the certificate", after previously telling lawyers that "what is happening on the ground" would be a question for Lambeth Council as the planning authority to decide.
Lawyers for the council and Summer Events Limited both asked the judge for the go-ahead to challenge his decision, but this was refused. The council and organisers still have the option to request permission from the Court of Appeal to contest the decision directly.
Campaigners from Protect Brockwell Park, along with actor Sir Mark Rylance, celebrated the ruling. In a statement released by the group, Sir Mark Rylance described it as "wonderful news", adding that "every small victory for nature makes a difference".
The legal challenge seems to be one obstacle in a string of many hurdles faced by London's line-up of summer music festivals. Field Day festival - set to take place in Brockwell Park this Saturday, May 24 - is facing its own crisis as multiple DJs have pulled out of the festival as part of a Palestine-related campaign against the event's parent company KKR. At time of writing, at least 15 acts have pulled out of the festival, including the Sisu Crew, Midland, Spray, Roza Terenzi and Regularfantasy.
Wide Awake festival, which will kick-off the Brockwell Live events this Friday, May 23 was also under heat after calls to remove its headliner - the Irish rap trio, Kneecap - from the line-up after a controversial Coachella performance. Wide Awake festival has reconfirmed that Kneecap will perform on Friday.