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Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
I live near a festival site – and I love it
Brockwell Park stands at the southern end of Herne Hill in south London. Opened to the public in 1892, it still feels like a spirited reminder of Victorian philanthropy; a place where London's cultural and social divisions are eroded; a free space for joggers, tai chi practitioners, footballers, families and the occasional miscreant. In the early weeks of the pandemic, the park had to be closed due to fears of overcrowding – a sign that it's a part of everyone's lives. For many years, I have lived nearby. I've benefited from Brockwell's commanding views across the city, its lido, its beautiful walled garden. I have also been to the occasional music gig – and it's the site's use as a venue for festivals that has attracted so many headlines recently, and caused many of my neighbours much consternation. It sometimes feels as though the battle for Brockwell Park were being pitched as a battle for London's soul. In short: part of the park is closed off every year for about seven or eight weeks for a series of festivals known as Brockwell Live – this closure is for the setting-up, as well as the events themselves. The most high-profile festival is Mighty Hoopla, which brings together 2000s favourites such as Daniel Bedingfield, Samantha Mumba and Jamelia. The complainants have, inevitably, been branded Nimbys. I'm not so sure: for one thing, I'm sympathetic to their environmental concerns. The park is a haven for pipistrelles, Daubenton's bats and a variety of birds such as herons, and green-winged teals. Traffic, both human and automotive, increases horribly when major events are happening. Litter unfurls through the Victorian streets. And yet I don't oppose Brockwell Live. For one thing, I get a weird Proustian rush when I open my window and, if the wind is in the right direction, I hear the sound of Sugababes performing Push the Button. More seriously, we know that live music in Britain remains in a perilous position. The decline has been coming since the early 2000s, and was exacerbated horribly by the pandemic. In 2023, no fewer than 125 grass-roots venues closed in the UK, with escalating costs in the form of rent and utility bills the main cause. Last year, it was estimated that the music sector contributed £6.1 billion to the economy – not just because of ticket sales, but due to spending at the venue and in the local environment. Big tours, such as those undertaken by Coldplay, accounted for three-quarters of the total. But no one in that echelon plays at Brockwell Park – apart from Kneecap, who appear this weekend at Wide Awake Festival, – but they may be the Coldplays of tomorrow, and they need to hustle: their careers are reliant on events such as these, particularly in an age when streaming has critically reduced artists' revenues. The reduction of live music venues in London has also been catastrophic for youngsters who want to discover new artists, or even just have a good time. In the late 1990s, the landscape was filled with a mix of emerging talent and established names. You could crawl along Camden High Street on a Thursday night and catch five different bands (or so it seemed). I wonder how many of those venues still exist. My favourite, The Falcon, a wonderfully dingy hub for shoegazers and hyperactive indie kids, was situated on Royal College Street: it has long gone. Today, a festival at a London park feels about as close to the live experience I was lucky enough to have nearly 30 years ago. Of course, even these festivals aren't what they once were. Brockwell Live is promoted by Superstruct, a multinational company which is in turn owned by KKR, a global investment firm. This is a long way from the heyday of the rackety independent festival. Some vanished events sound rather wonderful: I would have loved to attend the Anti-Heroin Festival at Crystal Palace Park in 1985, when Hawkwind and Spear of Destiny shared the stage with Dame Vera Lynn. Brockwell Park, too, has had its fair share of politically themed events, notably Rock Against Racism in 1978 and 1979, when attendance is thought to have been in excess of 150,000 (these were, of course, free). Mighty Hoopla's current capacity is less than 20 per cent of this. So let the music play? Brockwell Live announced earlier this week that the festivals would go ahead despite a successful legal challenge from a local campaign group. Yet certain things do need to change: I would argue that, given environmental concerns, the capacity should be reduced, and also that Superstruct should pledge a considerable donation to the Music Venue Trust. Live music is crucial to Britain's cultural infrastructure – but it's ever more becoming a tale of haves and have-nots.
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Brockwell Park music festivals to go ahead despite successful legal challenge
Organisers of the embattled music festival series Brockwell Live, held in Brockwell Park in south London, have said their events will go ahead despite a successful legal challenge against Lambeth council. The park, in Herne Hill, hosts tens of thousands of people at the festivals Wide Awake, Field Day, Cross the Tracks, City Splash and Mighty Hoopla, as well as the family festival Brockwell Bounce and the Lambeth Country Show. A residents' group, Protect Brockwell Park (PBP), had opposed the events, which require closing off sections of the park to the public for a number of weeks. They had argued the events were 'damaging Brockwell Park's ecology' – including the park's grass as a result of large crowds and heavy equipment – as well as its 'heritage and community value'. The campaign reached the high court, which examined whether Lambeth council was right to assert 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. A judge found in favour of PBP, saying the council's decision was 'irrational'. Solicitors for the group subsequently called on Lambeth council to cancel the events, saying: 'As there is no planning permission for the Brockwell Live event, the event has to be cancelled. The site now has to be made immediately available to the public and cleared of the fencing and infrastructure.' But Brockwell Live has said all the events will go ahead. 'Friday's high court ruling dealt with a particular point of law and whether an administrative process had been carried out correctly,' the company said in statement. '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 setup nearly complete, we look forward to opening the gates and welcoming festival goers later this week.' Lambeth council also said the events would go ahead, stating that Summer Events Limited, the company behind Brockwell Live, '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.' The PBP campaign, which was supported by cultural figures such as Mark Rylance, led to considerable debate across London and the live music industry. Some sided with PBP, arguing that it was an example of the private sector being allowed to encroach on a public asset. Others argued that the festivals enriched the culture of the area as well as local businesses. After the high court judgment, Night Time Industries Association chief Michael Kill said: 'The supply chain, from staging and lighting companies to local food and drink vendors, would suffer heavy financial losses,' and added that 'these events are not just concerts – they are vital social experiences that form part of the cultural fabric of people's lives'. The dispute sets up a potential battle over any events planned for 2026. Rebekah Shaman, who led the PBP campaign, has previously said: 'We are hoping to come to an agreement where events can still continue, but on a much lower level and also much more connected to the community,' while a PBP statement said the group were 'not anti-events' and looked forward to constructive discussion with Lambeth council in future. Though it can now go ahead, Field Day festival is facing a separate crisis, with numerous artists pulling out of the lineup. The festival's promoter Superstruct is owned by parent company KKR, an investment firm with holdings in Israel. Campaigners wrote an open letter stating that 'the festival is now implicated in the crimes against humanity of apartheid and genocide', and called on Field Day to 'publicly distance itself from KKR'. Artists and organisers such as Midland and Sisu Crew subsequently pulled out of the festival after Field Day did not make a statement to that effect. Field Day has responded, saying: 'As a high-profile event operating in a global context, our team, of course, recognises the strength of feeling of the artists involved and the fans who attend. The open letter itself says that this situation is 'not the choice of Field Day' and we are sorry that some artists have chosen not to perform at this year's festival.' Mighty Hoopla, which is also run by Superstruct, has put out its own statement reading: 'Information has come to light about KKR's unethical investments, particularly in complicit Israeli corporations, which directly counter what we stand for as a festival … we wish to state our clear opposition to KKR's unethical investments.' The Guardian has contacted representatives for KKR for comment.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Campaigner wins legal fight over park festivals
A campaigner has won a High Court challenge over the use of a south London park for music festivals this summer. Lambeth Council has permitted Brockwell Park, near Herne Hill, to host a series of events, such as the Mighty Hoopla, which are expected to attract hundreds of thousands of people. Local resident Rebekah Shaman took legal action, arguing that council did not have the correct planning permission - with a judge ruling in her favour. A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: "We are currently assessing the impact of this judgment and determining next steps." Ms Shaman's argument centred around planning laws prohibiting a change of use of parks for more than 28 days each year without additional planning consent. Presiding over the case, Mr Justice Mould found that parts of the park would be used for these events for as many as 37 days. The judge said his ruling was only about the lawfulness of the council's decision to grant permission for the additional days - a decision he described as "irrational". Ms Shaman told BBC London: "We are feeling elated, it's been a long time coming. It's regrettable we had to take Lambeth Council to court; it isn't what we wanted to do but we felt they were not engaging with us. "This has been going on for years, it isn't a one-off situation and it has been a consistent deterioration of the park, to the point where the community had to speak up to protect the park for future generations." She added: "We are hoping to come to an agreement where events can still continue, but on a much lower level and also much more connected to the community." Lawyers for Lambeth Council and festival organisers Summer Events Limited both asked for permission to challenge his decision but the judge refused. However, they are still able to ask the Court of Appeal for permission to challenge the decision directly. The Academy Award-winning actor Sir Mark Rylance, who has supported the campaign, described the ruling as "wonderful news". Emily, in Brockwell Park, told BBC London: "I think the result is brilliant. I have been going to the festival for many a year, however the destruction of the park afterwards is pretty bad... I'm wholeheartedly really pleased." Matt, who has lived in the area for the past 12 years, said: "I'm really happy with the outcome because it's a win for the local community who've been fighting Lambeth Council for a long time." However, local resident Lucy told BBC London: "I think it's brilliant to bring festivals to Brockwell Park, I think it's a great celebration of culture, we need to give opportunities to young people and we need to keep art alive." Richard Harwood KC, for Ms Shaman, had argued that Brockwell Park had "increasingly" been used for large commercial events in recent years, with "substantial" parts of the park being fenced off from the public during the events with damage caused to the ground. "Due to inclement weather over the weekend of one of the commercial events, the park effectively became a mudbath," Mr Harwood added, referring to one event last year. Matthew Reed KC, for Lambeth Council, said the "majority" of the park remained unfenced and available for the public to use during the events. He also said that the council was able to lawfully decide how often the park was used for festivals and would grant special permission if needed. However, Mr Justice Mould found in his ruling that Lambeth Council's planning officer had "erred in taking into account the mere prospect of planning permission being granted". The Protect Brockwell Park group has previously said it is "not anti-festival" and supports "well-run, inclusive events". The group said in a statement: "These large-scale, high-impact commercial festivals are damaging Brockwell Park's ecology, heritage and community value. "The park is being overused and under-protected." Additional reporting by Frankie McCamley and Barry Caffrey Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to Campaigners call for end to big festivals in park Event cancelled after park 'churned up' by festivals Music festival noise levels anger local residents Lambeth Council Protect Brockwell Park
