Wandsworth councillors condemn Lambeth Council's "repeated exploitation of Clapham Common"

Wandsworth councillors representing wards bordering Clapham Common have written a damning letter condemning Lambeth Council's "relentless commercial exploitation" of the Common to the detriment of both its biodiversity and the local community..

Nub News has published the full letter from Wandsworth Council below.

Use of Clapham Common for large-scale commercial events – Statement from Northcote, Shaftesbury and Balham Ward Councillors

As Wandsworth councillors representing wards bordering Clapham Common, we strongly condemn Lambeth Council's repeated exploitation of Clapham Common for large-scale commercial events to the detriment of the Common's grass and biodiversity and local residents' enjoyment of the Common.

Over this year's August bank holiday weekend, Lambeth Council sectioned off some 20 acres of the Common in order to hold three music festivals with up to 40,000 people attending per day. The area will remain fenced-off with industrial 'steel shields' for preparations, the event itself, and then maybe replaced by heras fencing for a period to allow the grass to recover. Last year, following years of event damage to the ground, the enclosed area had to be fenced-off for nine months in total for a "once in a lifetime regeneration" at the cost of £210,000. The regenerated grass had not yet settled in by the time Lambeth Council hosted these Bank Holiday weekend events.

Lambeth Council claims that the events will raise £300,000 but says that only £63,000 will be reinvested in the Common – an unacceptably small amount.

Lambeth Council has every intention of continuing this activity – Lambeth Council has awarded itself planning and licensing permission for 10 major events on Clapham Common for up to 40,000 people per day every summer from 2021 to 2024.

These events are not inclusive, accessible to the majority of the community, nor do they offer something for the full breadth of the local community which uses the Common. For many local residents, Clapham Common represents a lifeline of outdoor space to spend time with friends and family, walk the dog, or simply observe nature in a tranquil environment. Lambeth Council's relentless commercial exploitation harms this precious asset by bringing infrastructure and footfall which the grass cannot withstand, an increase in litter and antisocial behaviour, and noise which lasts long into the evening. This year's events have produced unacceptable noise levels which have resulted in an unprecedented number of complaints from disturbed households as far away as Wandsworth Common and Balham town centre.