Our beautiful Brockwell Park is a haven for nature and of immense value to the people of Lambeth and Southwark, but it’s under threat from private, large-scale events. We are local people fighting a million-pound company whose unsustainable business practices are damaging our trees, disturbing wildlife, compacting the soil, and fencing off huge areas of the park for weeks at a time. We have repeatedly raised our concerns with Lambeth Council, but our voices have fallen on deaf ears. Lambeth has ignored petitions that have garnered thousands of signatures, local residents’ distress, and the adverse ecological impact on the park over the years. The Council has also failed to properly follow correct procedures and properly consult with local residents.

Our campaign

We need your help to build a fighting fund, to ensure that Brockwell Park is a thriving, green oasis that serves as a sanctuary for both people and wildlife, free from the interruption of protracted large-scale unsustainable events during the critical period of late spring and early summer.

Neighbours rallied when 44 trees were due to be felled or lopped to facilitate private events in the park. We are now challenging Lambeth Council over its licensing of this vital public space for multiple private events that are causing irreparable ecological harm to our park. 

We want to:

1. Stop the commercialisation, destruction and fencing off of the Park without full public consultations, evidence-based impact assessments and proper evaluation of the long-term impact on the park. Let the land lie fallow for one or more years to restore soil health. 

2. Force a full consultation on and support the development of the Council’s Events Strategy to ensure it respects their obligations to the Park, which it holds in trust.

3. Seek payment for remedial work to repair the significant damage done to the park in recent years from the private company that ran them.

PLEASE HELP US ACHIEVE THIS!

About our park

Brockwell Park is essential to the physical and mental good health of all Lambeth residents in an area where few have access to a garden. 

As well as beautiful trees - including veteran/ancient oak, whitebeams and elms - the space is home to a variety of bats, woodpeckers, swans, newts and toads. The park’s many micro-ecosystems and biodiversity makes it incredibly important in our nature-depleted borough. 

There are multiple playing areas, and sports and community spaces across the Park. Consequently, the space is used by a huge range of ages and groups across our diverse community. 

The harm we’ve seen already

HGVs driving across the park, a heavy footfall of 180,000 festival goers in 6 days, events run in heavy rain, polluting generators running day and night, security lighting in its dark skies, waste and overflowing toilets. 

Because of all this and more, parts of our grassland are permanently damaged. Still embedded with rubbish and suffering from flooding as water can’t drain freely through compacted ground. Trees are dying as heavy equipment has piled up in root protection zones.

Since 2021, 32 protected species have disappeared, with noise and light pollution disrupting key habitats and impacting protected bats.

The park is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. It should be respected; instead we are seeing works during nesting season and profit prioritised over the Park, people and nature that depend on it. When the costs to the local community are taken into account, there cannot possibly be a financial justification for the harm caused.

If we do not stop these events, the Park won’t recover, and nor will our community.

The Council has emphasised that it thinks that it does not need to consult with local park users and residents, and appears to be manipulating planning laws. We may therefore be forced to take legal action.

What your funds will support

Legal costs to enable potential challenges to the Events Permit, licensing and planning procedures, and accompanying experts' reports. 

What we’ve achieved so far

✅ In July 2024, we submitted a deputation to the Council, requesting Lambeth Council puts forward a new vision for Brockwell Park, ceasing large commercial events and downsizing the Lambeth Country Show. 

✅  Over 1,000 people signed our letter to the Mayor, urging his office to take action on the fencing off and damage to the Park.

✅  Nearly 3,000 people (and growing) have signed the petition: Stop Fencing Off and Damaging Brockwell Park. 

✅ Over 800 people have signed our initial response letter opposing the grant of this year's Event Permit.

✅ We have commissioned experts’ reports, including a heritage and acoustic report.

- We successfully argued for an extended and more in- depth consultation in relation to the Events Permit. 

Thank you 🙏