Brockwell Park news, festival updates and more...

[shakespearegirl]

Update:



If we get a rainy July the Country Show could be fucked because of Lambeth's profiteering:





Exclusive: Lovebox expected to pay Lambeth Council £40,000 and Field Day £35,000 for takeover of Brockwell Park

I’m not against all events in the park, but the organisers should be paying proper fees (£10;000 for Sunfall!), have to set up and break down in a very timely manner to minimise disruption and face large fines if they cause damage. All of this is standard practice in large event management.

 

[shakespearegirl]

http://lambethfilmoffice.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/06/Lambeth-Film-Fees-2017-1.pdf

Considering a ‘very large’ film crew is up to £10,000 for day for a permit alone, you think they could have got a bit more out of Sunfall for taking over such a large area of the park for so long

 

[DJWrongspeed]

I feel a bit conflicted over this. I certainly won't be joining the Anti FB group but I do think the whole thing is a bit crap.

If it's just one year then I have no problem, a temporary festival zone for a few days but if it becomes every year then that's different.

As many old school brixton folk will remember the park is a great venue for events. My first experience was walking over the hill to an anti-racist rock gig back in the early 90s. Being young I couldn't quite believe it.

Flip fwd to 2017 and these festivals are all about rinsing people out of every last £. Perhaps not because the organisers want to but because the bills to do these things have gone up with authoritarian demands. London is a great musical city and I don't want people to miss out but is this really the best way to celebrate it.

Brockwell park early '70s , attched &

Rock against Racism

 

[editor]

I feel a bit conflicted over this. I certainly won't be joining the Anti FB group but I do think the whole thing is a bit crap.

If it's just one year then I have no problem, a temporary festival zone for a few days but if it becomes every year then that's different.

As many old school brixton folk will remember the park is a great venue for events. My first experience was walking over the hill to an anti-racist rock gig back in the early 90s. Being young I couldn't quite believe it.

Flip fwd to 2017 and these festivals are all about rinsing people out of every last £. Perhaps not because the organisers want to but because the bills to do these things have gone up with authoritarian demands. London is a great musical city and I don't want people to miss out but is this really the best way to celebrate it.

Brockwell park early '70s , attched &

Rock against Racism

They were bloody great gigs, but they were (a) free and (b) for a good cause.

These are just for corporate profit, and they'll be interrupting the peace of the park for weeks and weeks.

 

[editor]

Haven't had time to check any of this, so I'll just quote it from FB:

More abuse of our local green spaces. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TRADERS!
Have you seen the new ‘Pop up Christmas tree shops”
Appearing in local parks and other spaces in and around London? There is one in Brockwell Park, Herne Hill.
They call themselves ‘Pines and needles’ and have opened in 42 spaces this year.
They have some cutesy story on their website about two young Scottish brothers who hitched up a horse box filled with Christmas trees and travelled to London to sell them, and how they have grown their business.
They are in fact part of a HUGE company (or group of companies more like) who over the past few years have started to monopolise the garden trade in the South east of England.
A quick check on the companies house website reveals who they really are.
Local traders like the Flower Lady at Herne Hill station, Croxted Road garden centre and the wonderful Floral Hall in West Norwood who rely (Make or break) on their Christmas trade to stay in business are being shafted!

 

[T & P]

With all the planned events in the park for the coming year, Lambeth should at least have the decency to use some of the cash raised to make the November fireworks free entry again.

 

[Rushy]

If it's just one year then I have no problem, a temporary festival zone for a few days but if it becomes every year then that's different.

They were very up front about wanting it to be every year. Both FD and Lambeth talking about building long term relationships.

 

[editor]

Update:

Lovebox 2018: Brockwell Park festival organisers go on a PR offensive to try and win over locals

 

[snowy_again]

They've started selling tickets according to a post on the FB group...

 

[editor]

They've started selling tickets according to a post on the FB group...

That's a bit previous given that their press release says, "We will fully consult residents and stakeholders and feedback we receive will form part of our Licence application process."

 

[hungry_squirrel]

I think they mean that they're consulting on the running of it, rather than if it will happen - they're definitely selling tickets now.

Anyway, I know that there are negative aspects to it, but personally I am excited to have festivals that I'll probably want to go to on the doorstep.

 

[snowy_again]

It's possible to have a bit of cognitive dissonance on it - I live next door, so will have no choice but to hear it, and may probably enjoy some of the music. Doesn't mean that the process by which Lambeth decide* to award a licence, or the way that the park is treated gets to be ignored.

*and that looks like it's already an informal done deal.

 

[Twattor]

I didn't mind the festivals on clapham common as it is a soulless dust bowl and there is plenty of space left over. I feel differently about brockwell.

as Pastor Niemoller might have put it: first they came for clapham common and i did not speak out - because I am not of clapham...

 

[clandestino]

I suspect that the Field Day application may well fizzle out. The festival that took their spot in Victoria Park announced their line up today and it's pretty unbeatable.

Nick Cave
Patti Smith
St Vincent
Courtney Barnett

plus loads more bands TBA across three stages. On Sun June 3rd, with The National playing on the 2nd. Field Day is meant to be happening the same weekend, but all the Field Day people will be going to Nick Cave/The National I reckon.

 

[hungry_squirrel]

I suspect that the Field Day application may well fizzle out. The festival that took their spot in Victoria Park announced their line up today and it's pretty unbeatable.

Nick Cave
Patti Smith
St Vincent
Courtney Barnett

plus loads more bands TBA across three stages. On Sun June 3rd, with The National playing on the 2nd. Field Day is meant to be happening the same weekend, but all the Field Day people will be going to Nick Cave/The National I reckon.

Horses for courses though, I can see that line-up not appealing to a lot of people.

 

[editor]

I suspect that the Field Day application may well fizzle out. The festival that took their spot in Victoria Park announced their line up today and it's pretty unbeatable.

Nick Cave
Patti Smith
St Vincent
Courtney Barnett

plus loads more bands TBA across three stages. On Sun June 3rd, with The National playing on the 2nd. Field Day is meant to be happening the same weekend, but all the Field Day people will be going to Nick Cave/The National I reckon.

There's plenty of other amazing bands playing live that could easily make up a bill to match or surpass that one, IMO.

 

[editor]

It turns out that the decision to host the events is definitely NOT already decided.

This is what Jim Dickson, Herne Hill ward councillor said:

Two companies responsible for designing and building large scale music events have approached Lambeth with a view to hosting events in Brockwell Park. These events - Lovebox and Fieldday were previously held in Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets for over 10 years and are now looking for a new home.

It is important to emphasise that no decision on either event has been made and all events that take place in the park are subject to a rigorous scrutiny process. Both companies are cooperating fully with this process and are engaging with the community. The Sunfall event which took place over the last two summers will not be taking place in 2018.

In coming to a decision on whether any event takes place in the park – including these two – the council will need to weigh up a number of factors including any reduction in access to the park for the community, the effect of the event on the condition of the park and maintenance of the grounds and the impact on local businesses and transport networks.

 

[jimbarkanoodle]

I suspect that the Field Day application may well fizzle out. The festival that took their spot in Victoria Park announced their line up today and it's pretty unbeatable.

Nick Cave
Patti Smith
St Vincent
Courtney Barnett

plus loads more bands TBA across three stages. On Sun June 3rd, with The National playing on the 2nd. Field Day is meant to be happening the same weekend, but all the Field Day people will be going to Nick Cave/The National I reckon.

Field day is a very popular festival that has been running for years. there are more than enough people to go around to support 2 big day festivals on the same day. Although saying that, i always felt the crowd at Field Day was largely made up of trendy knob heads from East London, which might not be particularly arsed to travel down the Victoria line for Field Day.

 

[Rushy]

Bear in mind that Jim Dickson's day job is as a spin doctor for a corporate consultancy (and used to be leader of the council). Whilst no final decisions have been made he will be very aware that some level of assurances will have been given behind the scenes in order for either of the events to have started selling tickets or talking about their new home.

I don't know what he thinks abouts Field Day, Love Box et al but I am conscious that he smoothes things like this through the political process for a living. So his "the consultation process is progressing as it should and the two organisers are being very cooperative" response should be treated with caution.

 

[editor]

Lambeth hands over the park for peanuts and the rich fucker gets even richer:

Concert promoter Denis Desmond has added to his fortune by receiving a sizeable chunk of a €21mdividend from the UK music venue business he co-owns.

New accounts show that Academy Music Group Ltd last year paid a dividend of £17.2m (€20.9m) to its shareholders.

Mr Desmond — through his joint venture with Live Nation, the LN Gaiety Holdings Ltd entity — owns 26% of Academy Music and would have received over €5.4m from the dividend payout.

When asked to comment on the 2013 dividend windfall yesterday, Mr Desmond said: “We got a few bob last year. It makes up for the other ones. We did well — it was a good year.”

The dividend Mr Desmond received is in addition to the £9.6m he shared in dividend payouts from his other UK enterprise, Festival Republic, in 2012 and 2011.

The accounts for Academy Music Group show it sustained a slight decline in pre-tax profits last year from £4.46m to £4.3m.

Revenues at the group dipped by 1%, from £32.7m to £32.3m, in the 12 months to December 31, 2013.

The Academy Music business operates from 19 venues across the UK, including the O2 Brixton Academy and the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Mr Desmond said he was “very happy” with how the business performed last year. “We have a great team,” he said.

Desmond nets €5.4m in UK dividend

And: British Festival Promoter Calls for Investigation Into Live Nation Control of U.K. Festival Market - Amplify

 

[snowy_again]

The FB group is here: Log in to Facebook | Facebook: Brockwell Tranquillity

Don't need a FB account to read, but obviously do to comment.

 

[editor]

Public meeting coming up:

Brockwell Park festivals – Labour councillors want to hear your views at public meeting, Mon 11th Dec

 

[clandestino]

Horses for courses though, I can see that line-up not appealing to a lot of people.

Yes, but I'm talking about a bill that would appeal to the Field Day crowd. It's almost as if the new festival has gone out of its way to book Field Day type bands.

 

[editor]

From FB for people who don't understand why some businesses are annoyed with Lambeth bringing in seasonal stalls into the park:

My local florists Herne Hill are furious about it. They are also extremely annoyed that Lambeth Council have decided to let needles and pins a subsidiary of Neals yard set up in Brockwell Park. A big operation selling Christmas trees in direct competition with her local business.

 

[newbie]

Does anyone have any numbers? How much was Lambeth paid, and how many people attended, Sunfall and the fireworks? How much will the new events be charged and what will the attendance limits be?

 

[newbie]

As a glimpse of a possible future, it's worth noting that Newcastle is in the process of hiving their parks off. As a non-statutory council function they're getting rid of public grief such as this. Once the parks become an arms length away councillors can ignore future controversies.

 

[editor]

*unless there's a ruddy great commercial festival taking place, of course.

 

[editor]

How's this for some bollocks (from FB group)

Re: objection letters - Brockwell Park partners have received over 50 template letters of complaint but have apparently said they’re not going to count them because they’re all the same!

 

[editor]

Statement from FOBP:

Friends of Brockwell Park has fought for the integrity of the park for more than 30 years: we were founded to oppose a floodlit running track on the Tulse Hill side. We completely rejected Lambeth’s long-term events ‘strategy’ of eight major events in Brockwell Park per summer as completely unsustainable by the community and ecology of this small urban park. The prospect of three major events (the free Lambeth Country Show plus two gated, paying events) leading to six weeks’ enclosure of a third of the park within two months next summer dismays us. At a special committee meeting next Monday, we will decide our policy on Field Day and LoveBox.

 

[editor]

It's blooming big: