Brockwell Park festivals will go ahead despite High Court ruling, organisers say
Festivals at Brockwell Park will go ahead this summer, organisers have said, in a huge twist following last Friday’s High Court ruling against them.
Brockwell Live, which hosts festivals in the Brixton park, including Wide Awake, Mighty Hoopla, City Splash, Cross the Tracks and the Lambeth Country Show, has confirmed that all of its events will take place as planned.
In a statement Brockwell Live said: “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 well-being.
“With set-up nearly complete, we look forward to opening the gates and welcoming festival-goers later this week.”
The festivals set for Brockwell Park this summer, with the first to begin on Friday, were thrown into doubt when the High Court ruled in favour of the Protect Brockwell Park (PBP) group finding that the local authority acted unlawfully by allowing commercial events in the park without planning permission.
Lucy Akrill, co-founder of PBP, said: “This is a victory not just for Brockwell Park, but for communities everywhere fighting to preserve their green spaces.”
PBP complained about the green space being fenced off as well as noise and environmental damage. Issues they highlight include HGVs driving across the grass, compacting soil and disrupting wildlife as well as polluting generators running around the clock.
Rebekah Shaman, who lives in the area and is a member of PBP, brought legal action against Lambeth council after the local authority granted a series of events with a certificate of lawful development in March.
This meant that commercial events could take place in Brockwell Park without planning permission.
But, High Court judge Mr Justice Mould ruled in Ms Shaman’s favour on Friday, finding that the decision to grant the certificate was “irrational”.
Under permitted development rules, a temporary change of use is allowed for a total of 28 days each year, but the Brockwell Park festivals run over 37 days.
Ms Shaman said: “We are not opposed to well-managed, appropriately scaled community events.
“But what’s happening in Brockwell Park is neither appropriate nor sustainable. We reject the assumption that this beloved public green space is a suitable venue for massive and damaging festivals.”
The campaign sparked a fierce debate about public spaces and the importance of cultural events in recent months.
In the lead-up to the court case, Lambeth council said the area used for events had been independently assessed as being of “low ecological sensitivity grassland” and that “no ecological damage” was caused as a result.
Another group called SayYesLambeth issued an open letter in support of the council, warning that Lambeth could become “sterile, unaffordable, and soulless” if a legal challenge was successful.
Mould refused initial applications for permission to appeal from Lambeth council although they can ask the court of appeal for permission to challenge the decision directly.
Lambeth council also said the events would go ahead, stating that Summer Events Limited, the company behind Brockwell Live, has applied for a new certificate of lawfulness, for 24 days.
A spokesman said: “The council is urgently considering that application. That consideration does not stop the events proceeding.”
Pictured top: Johnny Clarke on the main stage at the Lambeth Country Show in 2022 (Picture: Colin Taylor photography)
