A Legal Challenge Has Been Launched Against Festivals in Brockwell Park
Locals are unhappy about the impact these festivals are having on the public parkAs well as being one of the city’s best green spaces, Brockwell Park is also home to a number of London’s music festivals, including Field Day, Wide Awake, Cross the Tracks and Mighty Hoopla. Brockwell Live, the organisers of said festivals, are now facing a legal challenge from campaign group Protect Brockwell Park. The group, which includes Sir Mark Rylance, is complaining that the festivals are having a negative environmental impact on the park, the metal walls erected for the events are fencing it off and turning it into what Rylance calls a “prison camp”, and that they have been undertaken without “proper planning scrutiny”.The challenge centres around Lambeth Council’s decision to allow large-scale commercial festivals to take place under the ‘permitted development’ 28-day rules, whereby temporary land use for up to 28 days within a calendar year can happen without formal planning permission. PBP is arguing that the Council has misapplied the rules for these festivals, as the set-up and dismantling of the site takes the events beyond this time limit. Ahead of the perimeter walls being erected in the park this week, over 150 locals staged a protest, spelling out “NO WALLS” on the grass.Speaking about the challenge, Protect Brockwell Park’s Co-Founder Lucy Akrill said: “We’re not against events in the park but we are firmly opposed to oversized, unsustainable festivals that, taken together, are bigger than Glastonbury – with over 300,000 people attending over nine days.“Fencing off huge sections of the park and renting them out for weeks at a time, generating huge profits for private equity firms, undermines the very purpose of the park as a public space. Our campaign is about defending that purpose – calling for environmental responsibility, public safety, legal accountability, and ensuring Brockwell Park remains open, green, and accessible to everyone in South London.”Festival organisers Brockwell Live has said that it takes its “stewardship seriously” and as well as celebrating London’s diverse music and culture scene, its events (where free tickets have been handed out to residents, charities and NHS workers), have donated over £150,000 to local organisations, contributed over £300,000 to the upkeep of the park, and saved the council £700,000 by funding the free-to-attend Lambeth Country Show.There’s also been a local group formed in favour of the festivals running in the park. SayYesLambeth, set up by a group of friends from an LGBTQ+ rugby team in south London, is calling on people to fight for “culture, joy and community in Lambeth”. In a statement posted on Instagram, the group said: “Lambeth’s night-time economy isn’t just about entertainment – it’s about life, jobs, and opportunity. From music venues to clubs, from bars to late-night cafés, these spaces are vital for our communities. They provide work, they foster creativity, and they offer safe spaces for people from all walks of life. Without them, Lambeth risks becoming sterile, unaffordable, and soulless.“We also need to protect events in our parks. Mighty Hoopla, Wide Awake, Lambeth Country Show and other festivals bring life, joy, and connection to Lambeth. They showcase our diversity, support local businesses, and give thousands of people access to music, culture, and community right on their doorstep. Parks are for everyone – and events are part of that shared, joyful use.”The Judicial Review is taking place on Thurs 15th May at the Royal Courts of Justice and the judgement is expected to be delivered online on Fri 16th May.Stay in the loop…Sign up to our drops & get us in your inbox.We’ll be in your inbox every Wednesday at 11:30am.Put the kettle on!
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