Top London music festivals face cancellation after group backed by actor Mark Rylance wins court row to stop events
SOME of London’s biggest festivals face an uncertain future after residents won a court battle to block a major park from hosting events.
Backed by Oscar winning actor Mark Rylance, the campaign has ordered the council to confirm that events will be cancelled this summer.
Brockwell Park in Lambeth has long been a popular site for some of the UK’s biggest festivals.
Hundreds of thousands of Brits flock to the park every summer to attend events including Mighty Hoopla – which was set to host both Kesha and Jade Thirwall this year.
However, residents decided to fight back against the festivals after the park was left in a state they described as a “mud-bath”.
Rebekah Shaman, a member of the Protect Brockwell park group, successfully brought legal action against Lambath Council over the use of the area for events season – which kicks off on May 23.
The High Court was told that the challenge was over the council’s decision to certify the use of the land as lawful, since a change of the park’s use is allowed for 28 days per year.
Mr Justice Mold ruled in Rebekah’s favour, since parts of the park would be used as an event space for more than 28 days.
Now, events such as Brockwell Live and the Mighty Hoopla could be banned from setting up there.
Rebekah and her lawyers wrote a letter addressed to the council which asked if the “event has been cancelled” and ordered them to clear any fencing or infrastructure.
The draft letter from Goodenough Ring solicitors said that Brockwell Live does not have planning permission and cannot benefit from permitted development rights, and that a planning application could not be decided for at least three weeks.
The letter read: “It follows that not only do the Brockwell Live events not have planning permission, but permission cannot be obtained until after they are concluded.”
It continued: “As there is no planning permission for the Brockwell Live event, the event has to be cancelled.”
Goodenough Ring has asked for a response by 10am on May 19.
A Lambeth Council spokesperson responded by saying: “We are currently assessing the impact of this judgement and determining next steps.”
The court ruling recieved a cheer from Dunkirk actor Mark Rylance.
The Oscar nominated performer said: “Wonderful news. Brockwell park will be open to all for free again this summer. No walls. No trucks.
“The grass, and trees, and plants will have a chance to recover from the years of abuse.
“Now let’s help revive the beloved Lambeth country fair as it used to be, open to all. Congratulations to all who worked so devotedly to achieve this decision.
“Every small victory for nature makes a difference.”
However, the event’s cancellation is a blow to London’s beleaguered events industry.
Critics of residents’ associations have said that noise complaints have led to the closure of several major London locations.
However, in April, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan was awarded increased powers to protect the capital’s pubs.
The Mayor will be able to block councils and residents from shutting down late-night pub and club openings.
The increased powers had support from Chancellor Rachel Reeves who said that “unnecessarily burdensome red tape” was choking London’s events industry.