The campaign group Protect Brockwell Park have launched a legal challenge against Lambeth Council, arguing large-scale music festivals are ‘damaging the ecological fabric of the park’
London’s Brockwell Park has become a hub for music festivals in recent years, but some Lambeth locals argue they come at the cost of conservation. In the lead up to a summer of back-to-back festivals in the park, a sect of South Londoners have launched a legal challenge against Lambeth Council, saying that the park is being “overused and under protected.”
The local campaign group, Protect Brockwell Park (PBP), issued an open letter to Lambeth Council, calling for an end to “large-scale, unsustainable events” that are “damaging the ecological fabric of the park”. On April 9, Protect Brockwell Park sent a pre-action letter to Lambeth Council, notifying them of their intent to initiate court proceedings.
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The group seeks to challenge the council’s decision to allow Brockwell Live’s commercial events to proceed under “permitted development” rules. The campaign group said this move bypassed “proper planning scrutiny” for what was “clearly a major, damaging change of use”. PBP has already raised more than £34,000 through their crowd funder to cover legal costs and received more than 3,000 signatures for its petition.
This summer, Brockwell Live will host nine days of events running across two weekends between May 23 to June 8. The line-up of events includes music and culture festivals like Wide Awake, Field Day, Cross The Tracks, City Splash, Mighty Hoopla, and London’s biggest festival, Lambeth Country Show. These events bring thousands of visitors to the park, with the Lambeth Country Show bringing 120,000 attendees alone.
One of the prominent figures of the campaign is BAFTA award-winning actor, Sir Mark Rylance (Wolf Hall, Bones and All). “The imposition of high steel walls for Brockwell Live every summer destroys the park for weeks and harms the grass, trees and plant life for months — if not forever. It turns it into a prison camp,” says the actor.
Since instigating its petition, the campaign group has been met with some pushback from other Lambeth locals. In an open letter addressing “the people of Lambeth”, SayYesLambeth has accused Protect Brockwell Park of being an elite and “well-funded” minority.
“For too long, a small but powerful group has dominated the debate about Lambeth’s future — shouting down new homes, opposing events in our parks, and trying to silence our vibrant night-time economy,” the open letter said. SayYesLambeth contests that PBP does not reflect the values of the area’s young residents, creatives and small business owners.
The open letter added that Lambeth’s night-time economy is not just about entertainment but business, insisting music venues and other community spaces need to be protected. The group purports that events like Might Hoopla and Lambeth Country Show “showcase our diversity, support local businesses, and give thousands of people access to music, culture, and community right on their doorstep.”
In exclusive comments to The Mirror, Protect Brockwell Park responded to SayYesLambeth’s letter, saying “it sets up a false choice between culture and conservation”. PBP asserts that they are not trying to ban festivals.
According to the campaign group, SayYesLambeth’s claim that the events are part of shared, joyful use of the park is “nonsense” when “they result in almost half of Brockwell Park being fenced off each summer”. Protect Brockwell Park also rejects any claim of “NIMBYism” (an acronym for Not In My Backyard), saying: “This is not a campaign bankrolled by the elite — it’s powered by local people who care deeply about their park.”
Lambeth Council has shared its own response to the legal challenge, saying “any impacts from the events on the park are fixed with our event partner” and that they are “committed to addressing all potential issues promptly and effectively, whilst ensuring Lambeth’s residents continue to have access to a diverse and meaningful range of events.”
The council has also made note of the cultural importance of Brockwell Live events, saying they are “really valued within our LGBTQ+ community” and that “similarly, City Splash celebrating Caribbean and African music and culture is much loved by our Black communities and beyond.”
At time of writing, Protect Brockwell Park has said that Lambeth Council have not responded to their concerns or their petition.
