Brockwell Park music events potentially in jeopardy after campaigner wins High Court case

Live music events in London’s Brockwell Park could be in jeopardy after a campaigner won a High Court challenge over its use in the summer months.

The south London park plays host to events such as Mighty Hoopla, Wide Awake, Field Day and more under the banner Brockwell Live, which are licensed by Lambeth Council.

Local resident Rebekah Shaman, a member of the Protect Brockwell Park group, took legal action against the council and argued that they didn’t have correct planning permission. Today (May 16), the judge ruled in her favour.

The court heard that under permitted development rules, a temporary change of use is allowed for 28 days per calendar year without additional planning permission. However, Mr Justice Mould found that parts of the park would be used for these events for up to 37 days. During these periods, “substantial” areas within Brockwell Park would be fenced off from the public and the events caused damage to the ground.

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: “We are currently assessing the impact of this judgment and determining next steps.”
“We are feeling elated, it’s been a long time coming. It’s regrettable we had to take Lambeth Council to court; it isn’t what we wanted to do but we felt they were not engaging with us,” Shaman told BBC London.
“This has been going on for years, it isn’t a one-off situation and it has been a consistent deterioration of the park, to the point where the community had to speak up to protect the park for future generations.”
She added: “We are hoping to come to an agreement where events can still continue, but on a much lower level and also much more connected to the community.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by PBP: Protect Brockwell Park (@protect_brockwell_park)

Lawyers for Lambeth Council and festival organisers Summer Events Limited both requested permission to challenge the judge’s decision but he refused. However, they can still ask the Court of Appeal for permission to challenge the decision directly.
The Protect Brockwell Park group has previously said it is “not anti-festival” and supports “well-run, inclusive events”.
The group said in a statement: “These large-scale, high-impact commercial festivals are damaging Brockwell Park’s ecology, heritage and community value.
“The park is being overused and under-protected.”
The Brockwell Live series of events is set to begin from May 23. It remains to be seen how or if they will be affected by the court ruling.

Meanwhile, Field Day has been the target of a boycott in solidarity with Palestine, which has involved 11 artists pulling out.

Two weeks ago, over 50 artists including Massive Attack and Brian Eno signed an open letter to Field Day, asking it to distance itself from global investment firm KRR. The letter requested that the festival sever ties with the firm, which owns Superstruct Entertainment.

In a statement shared on Instagram today (May 15), Field Day started: “Our aim has always been, simply, to give you an incredible festival experience with the very best artists from around the world. Through many challenging times, various venues and several changes of ownership, Field Day has never compromised on those ambitions and values, putting on the best show we can in the way we always have.”

It continued: “By partnering with Superstruct Entertainment in April 2023, the future of the festival and its creative and operational independence were secured – the ownership changed but not the ethos. Since then, as has been reported, they have been bought by KKR, of which we had no say in, which has prompted a passionate discussion.”

The festival said that it “recognises the strength of the feeling of the artists involved and the fans who attend” and said it is “sorry” that some artists have pulled out.

It added: “We know there will be many of you out there who are hurt and angry about this situation. We hope that this helps you to understand the position of the festival team.”

The post Brockwell Park music events potentially in jeopardy after campaigner wins High Court case appeared first on NME.