‘This year is the worst it has been’: Residents near Brockwell Park hit out at festival noise levels

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

People living near a park taken over by music festivals for the past two weekends have hit out at organisers and the council over constant noise they say is ruining their lives.

Thousands of revellers have flocked to Lambeth’s Brockwell Park over the past fortnight for festivals including Mighty Hoopla, Wide Awake and City Splash.

But many residents living close to the park claim their lives have been made a misery by unbearably loud music and partygoers illegally parking in their streets.

They are also annoyed at a large section of the park being fenced off for weeks and the damage done to grass by the thousands of visitors the park attracts.

Herne Hill dad Mark Baynes said the noise from the festivals was inescapable. The 43-year-old, who has lived in the area for a decade, said: “It’s like we’ve been living at a festival for the last 10 days.

“The noise is annoying. You just hear noise, not any of the music. It has also been pretty awful not being able to access the park. The kids wanted to play on the grass.”

He added: “The Hoopla crowd don’t cause trouble but for the festival on the May bank holiday a lot of people drove here and the traffic was crazy.

“My wife went out and had to leave her car in Dulwich because there weren’t any spaces around here.”

On the other side of the park, Tulse Hill resident Stella said she’d never known the noise to be so bad in the 27 years she has lived in the area.

She said: “Without any doubt the noise this year is the worst it has been. It wasn’t just a little bit of wind carrying the sound. It was horrendously bad on the first weekend.

“I went for dinner with my husband in Balham and I could hear the noise there.

“I tried to stay away from home but there’s only so much time you can spend away. It starts with the sound check at 10.30am and it’s relentless until it closes at night. It’s a nightmare.”

A Lambeth council spokesman said: “We apologise for any noise disturbance caused to local residents, and we worked hard throughout to ensure the impact on local people was kept to a minimum.

“That included noise monitoring, a strict music curfew – including 10pm on Sunday, and council wardens on hand to immediately address any local issues.

“Holding events at Brockwell Park boosts local business, adds to Lambeth’s exciting music scene and raises thousands of pounds for park improvements.

“The ticket events also help maintain free community shows including Brockwell Bounce and the much-loved Lambeth Country Show.”

Brockwell Live organisers said: “During the event, both Lambeth council and Brockwell Live have their own independent noise consultants to actively monitor noise levels and take readings to ensure compliance with permissible limits.

“Our sound levels have been agreed with the Local Authority and are built into our licence. The event team work very closely with the Safety Advisory Group and Lambeth Public Protection officers to ensure we do not go above the set levels for noise.”

Pictured top: Brockwell Park festival site on June 5 (Picture: Robert Firth)