A group of residents who live close to Brockwell Park in South London are aiming to launch legal proceedings against Lambeth Council’s approval of several festivals at the park.
As London Centric reports, the group, known as Project Brockwell Park, has described Lambeth Council’s consent of the events – which include Field Day, Wide Awake and Cross The Tracks – as “unlawful”. The residents have crowdfunded over £30,000 at the time of writing to push for a legal review into the festivals’ annual staging.
Key to the residents’ complaints is the length of time that the festivals being held each year forces large parts of the park to be closed off to the public. Events firm Brockwell Live puts on most of the events and is granted a certificate of lawful development which enables it to take over the space without planning permission for a maximum of 28 days a year. Project Brockwell Park claims, however, that the park is out of use for 38 days a year when the construction of the events is also accounted for and is arguing that Brockwell Live should be forced to properly adhere to the limit of 28 days.
Taking into account the environmental impact of the festivals also, the residents are calling for “full public consultations, evidence-based impact assessments and proper evaluation of the long-term impact on the park,” as stated in their crowdfunder.
“So many people within the community have just had enough with the fact that the council claims they consult with the community,” Protect Brockwell Park’s Lucy Akrill told London Centric. “We’ve got to the point where it feels like legal action is one of the few ways we can make the council listen.”
