People concerned about the condition in which Brockwell Park was left after this year’s festivals are being urged to sign up to a letter to the Mayor of London asking for a compromise over the amount of yearly events.
We are a group of local residents who are passionate about the welfare of Brockwell Park in Lambeth.
We would like to draw your attention to the commercialisation of Brockwell Park and other public parks in London via large scale events such as Brockwell Live, together with the severe ecological damage and prolonged fencing off of green spaces to the public for extended periods.
We are encouraged to see if we can ask your office to get involved by the environmental awareness you have demonstrated while in post and by the climate and ecology protective measures you have undertaken. This aligns in particular with your 2021 manifesto pledge to “Making London greener”, committing to “giving Londoners access to green space within 10 minutes of where they live”.
Every year a steel shield perimeter closes off a third of Brockwell Park during the most popular time of year. In 2024 the fence was in place for 37 days, and much of the ground remained too damaged to use for the entire summer. Experts believe the grass will not have recovered by the time of the events next year.
The compaction of the ground from 300,000 visitors and the heavy vehicles needed to mount the festivals has long term effects. This intensive use caused severe damage to the grass and ancient tree roots, necessitated the pruning of trees to accommodate HGVs, and ultimately led to the felling of 13 trees.
Fencing off space from public
Lambeth Council advocates the key benefit of the festivals as bringing people together. Shutting the public out of green space – often the only connection with nature and green space for the many local people not privileged enough to have a garden at home – does not bring people together; it divides us.
Brockwell Park is a vibrant local community asset which brings together locals from all walks of life, of all colours, religious persuasions and income brackets.
Connecting with nature has never been more important, for us and for our children, for the mental and physical health benefits it brings and for the appreciation of our environment which it encourages. Brockwell Park enables that.
The integrity of the remainder of the park which is still open and accessible during the events is also compromised, as the festivals disrupt the natural ambience, fundamental to the park’s essence.
Ecological damage
Events now take up at least 44% of the available green space.
They cause irreversible damage by soil compaction and destruction to trees, old and newly planted, and to ecosystems which cannot be replaced by, as the Council advocates, “encouraging biodiversity elsewhere in the park”. We have more details and photos of the specifics of the ecological damage which has resulted if it is required.
Lambeth Council has designated the whole of Brockwell Park as a Site of Borough Nature Conservation Importance, yet in practice, this fact appears to be ignored when it comes to approval of these large commercial events.
The compaction of the ground is resulting in increased flooding in an already flood-prone area.
Air pollution
The festivals necessitate the operation of 26 generators, consuming a substantial quantity of fuel. This exacerbates air pollution in an already polluted area of London, posing serious risks to public health.
Parks should serve as havens of clean air and tranquility, not contribute further to environmental degradation.
Lack of financial transparency
Lambeth Council says that we need festivals to meet funding shortfall. They have also acknowledged that, because they are trustees of Brockwell Park rather than beneficial owners, the Council is not allowed to profit from the park.
Nevertheless, only a tiny proportion of income from the events – called the PIL – is ringfenced, whilst the remainder is paid directly into the Council’s general budget.
Historically, the Council has justified this by arguing that the income received is less than the cost of maintaining the park and that the balance is paid from public funds (yet no accurate records are available).
As income increases, public funding is systematically reduced, meaning that the park is becoming entirely dependent on and subservient to the funding from huge commercial events.
As income from events surpasses the reasonable costs of maintaining the park, the park is expected to fund other services, including the Lambeth Events department.
None of this – loss of all public funding, reduced access, and the reduced quality of the park both during and after events – is in the interest of the beneficial owners of the park, for whom it is being managed.
Could you help us to clarify the Council’s obligations and duties as trustees and make sure they are managed transparently?
Action
In July 2024 we launched a petition which has so far garnered over 3000 local signatories (see enclosed) which demonstrates the importance of this issue. We are open-minded to some form of compromise if meaningful and transparent discussion can be had.
Brockwell Park is our community’s lungs, where people come together and connect with nature.
We urge you to use your discretion to see if there is some way your office could become involved in enabling more transparency on the part of the Council, meaningful (as opposed to token) discussion with the local community, compliance with the Council’s existing pro-nature/environment policies and the correct application of planning laws and procedures, which we believe the Council may have transgressed.
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