Campaigners win legal battle over imminent Brockwell Park gig series
A court has ruled that the upcoming gigs – including Wide Awake and Mighty Hoopla – don't have correct planning permission
A campaign group have won a legal battle over a series of gigs meant to take place from this weekend in south London’s Brockwell Park.
The Brockwell Live series, which incorporates the festivals Wide Awake, Mighty Hoopla, Field Day and more, is set to begin on Friday (May 23), attracting hundreds of thousands of punters to the park.
The events are now in jeopardy after local resident Rebekah Shaman, leader of the Protect Brockwell Park campaign group, took them to court, arguing that the events didn’t have the correct planning permission. A judge has now ruled in her favour.
Shaman claimed that festivals can only use public parks for 28 days per year without gaining additional planning permission, and that the parks would be used for up to 37 days in 2025.
A Lambeth Council spokesperson said (via BBC News): “We are currently assessing the impact of this judgment and determining next steps.”
Permission to challenge the decision has been refused by the judge, but Brockwell Live are still able to challenge directly via the Court of Appeal. None of the festivals themselves, nor its organising body, have yet commented publicly on the decision, but Rolling Stone UK have reached out to them for comment.
On Instagram, Protect Brockwell Park said: “We regret that legal action became necessary. The applicants and Lambeth Council created a binary situation with no room for compromise, and built in risks and delay by submitting inappropriately late applications, as has happened in previous years.”
They added: “We have been trying to engage with Lambeth and Brockwell Live since last October. Their use of last minute tactics in previous years has let huge events damage and close off our park without proper scrutiny. We have repeatedly urged the Council to secure a full planning permission for all the events, together with proper impact assessments.
“Looking ahead, we hope the Council will now choose to act lawfully and fairly, in line with their responsibility to hold the park on trust for the local community.”
Despite calling for the immediate cancellation of the paid-for music festivals in the park, they have shared their hope that the free entry Lambeth Country Show – taking place on June 7-8 – still goes ahead, despite being also organised and funded by Brockwell Live.