Brockwell Park – Field Day festival update

In January 2018 Lambeth Cabinet gave the provisional approval for the Field Day festival to go ahead in Brockwell Park on the first weekend of June, and we have been working hard as your local Councillors to ensure that this festival, if it were to go ahead, is properly managed. Since these event proposals for Brockwell Park came to our attention we have been talking with the community to make sure that resident views are taken into account, and held a public event back in December 2017 for example to make sure residents could engage in the process and allow for them to have an opportunity to put their views forward.

After consulting with local residents we made an extensive submission to the Licensing Committee – the independent statutory body tasked with deciding whether Field Day has the permission to get a license to sell alcohol and host live music. In the main, we have made the case that the closing times need to be significantly reduced, that noise issues remain a concern and that we also have concerns about disturbances and anti-social behaviour. We will be at the Licensing Committee on the 4th April 2018 to represent residents.

Otherwise, we have also started on a provisional basis working with the community team from the Field Day event organisers. In the event the festival goes ahead we have already managed to secure agreement from Field Day for the protection of parking spaces in the area around the festival, for extensive rubbish clearance on all roads around the park and a commitment to attend initiate meetings with local businesses around possible opportunities the festival can bring to them. The plans are a long way from being ready but some constructive work is being under taken on this.

Furthermore, we have also secured a high level agreement to look again at features of the events policy relating to Brockwell Park. This would include setting a maximum cap on numbers in the park for any event, tighter noise controls and a trigger for public scrutiny. We are looking to set out a timetable for these reforms to govern any events in 2019 and reduce the overall events burden in Brockwell Park.

Finally, Cllr Fred Cowell will continue working with Brockwell Park Community Partners towards ensuring that Heritage Lottery funding can be used to improve Brockwell Hall as a basis for a more secure future for the park in order to develop long term funding, and investment security for Brockwell Park.

Brockwell Park fireworks – vehicle restrictions

In preparation for the forthcoming Lambeth fireworks display in Brockwell Park a temporary vehicle restrictions notice has been put in place.

(a) ban vehicles from:

(i) entering the slip road that links Norwood Road to Dulwich Road (by the Herne Hill entrance to Brockwell Park) from 7 am on Thursday 02 November 2017 until 11pm on Sunday 05 November 2017 (the banned left turn from the main carriageway of Norwood Road into the main carriageway of Dulwich Road would be suspended so as to provide an alternative route for affected vehicles)

(ii) entering or waiting (including for loading/unloading purposes) in that length of Railton Road, which lies between Rymer Street and the junction of Dulwich Road/Norwood Road/Half Moon Lane from 2pm until 11pm on Saturday 04 November 2017

(iii) entering or waiting (including for loading/unloading purposes) in that length of Brockwell Park Gardens which lies between Norwood Road and the party wall of Nos. 42 and 43 Brockwell Park Gardens from 6am until 11pm on Saturday 4th November 2017 (an alternative route would be available via Norwood Road and Trinity Rise)

(iv) entering or waiting in the lengths of roads specified in Schedule 1 to this Notice from 6.30pm until 9.30pm on Saturday 04 November 2017 (alternative routes would be available via adjacent roads as indicated by traffic signs)

(v) waiting (except for loading/unloading purposes) in the lengths of roads specified in Schedule 2 to this Notice and waiting (including for loading/unloading purposes) in the lengths of roads specified in Schedule 3 to this Notice, from 7am until 11pm on 04 November 2017

(b) suspend the banned right turn from Carver Road into Herne Hill.

2. The restrictions are necessary to enable safe access for vehicles connected with the event and because of the likelihood of danger to the public caused by an increase in traffic and parking related to a fireworks display in Brockwell Park and would only apply at such times and to such extent as shall be indicated by the placing of the appropriate traffic signs.

Brockwell Park is a major part of Thurlow Park residents’ community life and hosts numerous events each year, including the Lambeth Country Show.

The number of events held in Brockwell Park is increasing; in part because it is such a wonderful location that performers, film crews and musicians are keen to use, and because such activities allow Lambeth to maintain the park to a high standard as events help to provide a source of income to Lambeth. With this in mind, it is necessary that we make sure that the income generated helps to fund vital services for residents and future investments.

As your local councillors we have been working carefully with the Brockwell Park Community partners, including Ann Kingsbury (pictured above), and other local stakeholders to ensure that disruption in the park is kept to absolute minimum. Generating income for the park must be balanced ensuring that the community is not overly burdened with events on their doorstep.

In advance of the Found Festival for example this June we have asked for detailed information to be made available to residents about the event and a contact number to be available to report any complaints. We will also be working closely with Event Lambeth to ensure clean-up after the event is properly carried out and that disruption is kept to a minimum.

In the longer term we are working to ensure that the park properly reaps the benefits of such, and all events, so that there can be proper investment in Brockwell as a space for all the community to enjoy. If there is ever anything to do with the park that you want to raise please get in touch with us

Lambeth Country Show here to stay but fireworks no longer affordable

Lambeth council has committed to keeping the hugely popular Lambeth Country Show, but massive budget cuts mean the annual fireworks display will not go ahead.

Lambeth’s funding has been cut in half by central government cuts, meaning the council must carefully prioritise how it spends its money.

The Country Show, held every summer in Brockwell Park, attracted 160,000 people last month and included live music, a fun fair, main arena shows such as horse jousting and dog display teams, bars, food stalls, flower displays, a farmers’ market and animals of all shapes and sizes. It is free to attend.

The November fireworks event is also popular but the council had to introduce charges last year in an attempt to keep costs manageable.

For more information please go to – https://lambethnews.wordpress.com/2015/08/04/lambeth-country-show-here-to-stay-but-fireworks-no-longer-affordable/