Locals crowdfund legal opposition to festivals in South London’s Brockwell Park

A group of local residents in South London calling themselves Protect Brockwell Park have crowdfunded more than £30,000 to launch a legal fight against festivals taking place in the Lambeth park.

Festivals taking place there this summer include Mighty Hoopla, Wide Awake, Field Day, Cross The Tracks and City Splash.

London Centric reports that the group have sent a pre-action letter to the council claiming the granting of licenses for the events is “unlawful”.

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The crowdfund page outlines a series of complaints, including environmental damage and the blocking of public access to the park for extended periods, and accuses the council of “manipulating planning laws”.

Events company Brockwell Live, which organises the festivals, has a certificate of lawful development to temporarily change the space for a maximum of 28 days, however Protect Brockwell Park claims that the park is taken over for 38 days when construction and pack down are taken into account.

The group argues that because of this, festivals should have to follow the full planning permission process with “public consultations” and “proper evaluation of the long-term impact on the park”.

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Legal action and a judicial review could have implications for other parks and festivals across London.

Lucy Akrill, a Protect Brockwell Park campaigner, said: “So many people within the community have just had enough with the fact that the council claims they consult with the community”.

However another local resident Ana De Liz voiced support for the festivals, stating: “This legal action is driven by wanting the festivals to go away. And I don’t want the festivals to go away.”

Read London Centric’s full report here.