Activists reject Lambeth councilor’s claim that the nature of Brockwell Park is being helped by festivals

Local campaigners have poured cold water on a Labor councilor’s claim that Brockwell Park’s biodiversity is a result of festivals such as Mighty Hoopla being held there. Councilor Donatus Anyanwu, who holds the portfolio for events, told a meeting of Lambeth Council on Wednesday (July 17) that the variety of nature found in the park in Herne Hill, south London, was due to the money generated by the events held there.

Answering a question from Green Party councilor Scott Ainslie, Cllr Anyanwu said: “The events raise money that can help us build on the green upkeep of the park. The biodiversity we have in Brockwell Park is the result of investment that (is) generated by events.”

But residents, who called on the council to stop holding large commercial events in the park at the same meeting, rejected Cllr Anyanwu’s suggestion that the festivals would boost Brockwell Park’s biodiversity. In a statement released on Friday (July 19), Jen Hawkins and other local activists said: “Biodiversity cannot be bought or significantly increased with this scale, duration and footprint (of the events). It is irrational to damage one part of the park to improve another.”

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They added: “The movement of species due to disturbance will also affect the biodiversity of an area. It’s a complex interaction that has nothing to do with finance. The money for biodiversity comes from the park fee; a small part of the income of the events. and a small sum for so great a disturbance and damage.”

Two weekends of back-to-back festivals at Brockwell Park in late May and early June have left parts of the green space damaged. Photos taken at the park in June showed a large area of ​​mud and tire tracks where there would normally be grass.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) after the meeting, Cllr Ainslie, Green Member for Streatham St Leonard’s, said the Labour-led council needed to back up its biodiversity claims with evidence.

He said: “At the moment I don’t think (the information) is really in the public domain. It would be nice to see clear, indisputable evidence of that. (…) The Greens don’t want to be a party. Poopers. It’s about making sure the park is for everyone. We’d better review the decision-making process around the events we have.

Campaigners who spoke at Wednesday’s council meeting expressed concern about the impact of events at the park on the environment and people living locally. Residents said St Matthew’s Project – a local children’s sports organization – could not play any 11-a-side football matches in Brockwell Park during the season because of damage to the green space from a Pokemon event held there in 2023. .

They added that further damage to the park from events earlier this year meant the charity was unlikely to resume games there when the new season began. A petition set up two weeks ago outlining their concerns about the big events at Brockwell Park has already gathered more than 2,200 signatures.

Lambeth Council’s Liberal Democrat group previously called for an independent inquiry into the damage to the park this year and said no further events should be scheduled until an inquiry is completed.

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