South-east London is a hub for culture, music, and the arts, being the home to some of the best musical theatre schools in the country.
But a row has broken out over festivals at Brockwell Park with some associations, such as Protect Brockwell Park (PBP), protesting to shut down music festivals and grassroots venues.
Rebecca Shaman, a campaigner, has said the festivals at Brockwell Park turn it into a mud bath and the locals cannot enjoy the park.
She and the group PBP took legal action against Lambeth Council, and the High Court ruled in Shaman’s favour.
It was reported that Miss Shaman’s main argument centred on planning laws that prohibited a change in the use of parks for more than 28 days a year without planning consent, and the events Brockwell Live was holding used up to 37 days.
However, Brockwell Live obtained a new certificate of lawfulness for an additional 24 days, which allowed them to continue with their lineup of festivals for this year.
However, PBP have held protests in the park and drawn graffiti that spell out “Whose park? Our park!” on the tall festival fencing that surrounds Brockwell Park.
One member tweeted: “Not for the divisive gated commercial festivals.
“Not then, not now. Not ever. #ProtectBrockwellPark”.
The group’s members have complained that the festival’s noise levels exceed the permissible sound concentrations, the mud ruins the park’s green space, and the thousands of festival revellers disrupting the usually quiet Herne Hill area.
Despite noting all of these issues and taking the council to court, festivals will go ahead this summer, much to the festival goers’ delight, as one person suggested gentrification is destroying nightlife and culture within the city.
Whilst another X user who lives near Brockwell Park highlighted the size of the park, with the festivals in it and noted that their neighbours feel “displaced” even though the park still remains extremely large.
The legal action has not been resolved, and a spokesperson for the group has stated that they are preparing to take Lambeth Council back to court after the festivals have finished.
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