'It's a nightmare': residents hit out at latest music festival in Lambeth green space

People living near a South London park taken over by music festivals for the last 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 in the last two weeks 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 on 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'd 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."

She added: "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 huge section of Brockwell Park has been sealed off since mid May for the festivals. CREDIT: Robert Firth

Organisers Summer Events Limited have been running a yearly series of festivals in Brockwell Park since 2018 under the Brockwell Live brand. Lambeth Council approved the company's bid to hold the latest set of events in the 50.8 hectares park back in March.

Crews started assembling the stages for the events on May 15. The Sunday of Mighty Hoopla on June 4 was the last event in the series. But the stages will remain in place for just over another week for use by the Lambeth Country Show on June 10 and 11 before being disassembled. 

Not everyone the Local Democracy Reporting Service spoke to minded the noise though. Catherine, who declined to give her surname, said she enjoyed hearing Kelly Rowland's headline set on the Saturday of Mighty Hoopla from the comfort of her living room.

She said: "It's noisy but I don't mind. You could hear Kelly Rowland from my house and it was brilliant. It's really impressive the number of people here. It finishes at a reasonable time." 

Tricia, 59, added: "The festivals take up a big chunk of the park but they've made an effort to minimise the disruption. They've got to be somewhere and given the amount of money that has been cut by central government I don't blame the council for trying to get money from somewhere else."

Donna Harris, leader of Lambeth Council's Liberal Democrat opposition, said had received complaints about noise from residents living up to 3.5km away in Clapham and Streatham.

Cllr Harris, member for Streatham Hill West and Thornton, said: "Residents deserve information regarding how the noise generated by such events is being monitored and kept within legal limits, as well as how Lambeth is working with event partners to mitigate, monitor, and assess the impact of events in the borough's public spaces." 

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: "We apologise for any noise disturbance caused to local residents, and have worked hard throughout to ensure the impact on local people was kept to a minimum. That included noise monitoring, a strict music curfew – including at 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 programme also contributes to Lambeth's inclusive and diverse calendar of cultural activities.

"The ticketed events also help maintain free community shows including Brockwell Bounce and the much loved Lambeth Country Show. Following these year's events in Brockwell Park we will be carrying out a full impact assessment to see if there are lessons to be learned for the future."

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." 

The festivals to take place in Brockwell Park during May and June in order are:

• Project 6 – May 26
• Wide Awake – May 27
• Cross The Tracks – May 28
• City Splash – May 29
• Brockwell Bounce – May 31
• Mighty Hoopla – June 3 and 4
• Lambeth Country Show – June 10 and 11