Brockwell Live events to proceed this summer following High Court ruling
A High Court judge has dismissed the challenge brought to Lambeth Council over the usage of Brockwell Park for several festivals this summer, including Field Day, City Splash, and Mighty Hoopla.
Hundreds of thousands of people are attracted to the south London park every year for music festivals; however, resident Juliet Chambers attempted to prevent the events from going ahead on “misinterpretative” grounds.
Chambers legally challenged the council through her representative, Richard Harwood, who claimed that the planning permission it granted was “unlawful”. She said that there had been a misinterpretation of the word “recreation”, which was the grounds through which the planning applications were approved.
However, Chambers’ bid was unsuccessful: Mr Justice Jay dismissed the bid and said that the park is being used for “recreation”, adding that “it is clear in my view that this musical festival is a cultural activity”.
As per BBC, a representative for Lambeth Council reassured a considered usage of the space, sharing with Mr Justice Jay that “during the events, the rest of the park will be retained as public open space, therefore leaving 74% of the park open to the public throughout this period.”
Additionally, the park will not be kept for events all season; the planning permission granted by the council allows a temporary change of use for only part of the park, covering a period of up to 32 days.
In light of the recent ruling, the five festivals will go ahead: Field Day, Cross the Tracks, City Splash, Mighty Hoopla, and Brockwell Bounce will run as normal, while organisers recently announced that the Wide Awake festival was “taking a break for 2026”.
Residents had a similar issue last year, when the campaign group Protect Brockwell Park challenged Lambeth Council’s decision to grant planning permission for festivals; locals in the Brixton area complained that the events caused environmental damage and blocked public access to the park.
Despite this, the festivals still went ahead as planned.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.