Council formally objects to plan for ‘noisy’ Clapham Common music festival Post Reply

[Wandsworth Council]

Wandsworth Council has formally objected to plans for a three day music festival on Clapham Common next summer.

The objection has been submitted to Lambeth Council which manages the whole of the common, even though more than half of it is geographically located in the borough of Wandsworth.

The objection to the SW4 Festival being staged as currently proposed is on the grounds of excessive noise and the likely disturbance it will cause to Wandsworth residents.

Last summer Lambeth relaxed the noise limits for its events on the common meaning that music festivals could be much louder than in previous years.

This led to a huge increase in the number of noise complaints for the most recent SW4 Festival compared to the summer of 2015. The total number of complaints for 2016 was around 600 per cent higher than the previous year.

Lambeth is currently considering whether or not to approve the 2017 event.

Wandsworth’s formal written objection states: “The current application has not addressed the significant increase in the number of complaints received during the 2016 event. Under the requirements of the Licensing Act 2003 a Licensee should take all reasonable steps to ensure that amplified music will not cause a nuisance to nearby residents, and it is of concern that there are no additional control measures proposed to address this, in the application for 2017,given the significant concerns raised by local residents in 2016.”

Wandsworth says the event should be restricted to two days not three and that noise levels should be pegged back to the 2015 limits.

The council’s environment spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook said: “We are obviously concerned that next summer’s event is likely to cause a huge amount of disturbance to the many thousands of people living close to the common that we represent.

“By permitting much louder noise levels, Lambeth is showing little regard for people living close by, especially those with young families.

“Last summer’s festival was permitted to be much louder than the previous year and this had the inevitable effect of generating six times as many noise complaints.

“If they care about the wellbeing and comfort of people living close to the common, not just in our borough but in their own too, councillors in Lambeth must restrict next summer’s event to just two days and lower the permitted noise levels back to the 2015 limits.

“Ours is a reasonable compromise that allows Lambeth to stage the event and generate extra revenue, allows music fans to watch and enjoy their favourite bands, but also gives local people some respite from the noisy excesses of this year’s festival.”

The Lambeth Council licensing meeting to determine the application is open to the public and will take place at 7pm on December 6, at Lambeth’s offices in Canterbury Crescent, Brixton SW9 7QE.

[actuallyadad]

Oh dear it's the fun police again.

Six times as many complaints....but how many is that? What proportion of the people living nearby complained? I bet it was a tiny number and that this view is representative of a tiny proportion of local residents. A shame the council is wasting our resources on these pointless issues.

[juliantenniscoach]

"oh dear it's the fun Police"............. stolen!

[firsttimerSW11]

I'm also with Wandsworth on this, I'm very affected by the noise and I live on the Lambeth side of the Common. In fact it annoys me that Lambeth couldn't give two hoots about its residents while Wandsworth clearly does. Good on Wandsworth.

[dudette]

I'm with Wandsworth too even though I live too far from the common to be affected. Just because you think it's fun doesn't mean that everyone does. I absolutely hate loud music and I know if I could hear it I'd probably find it irritating to the point of distressing. What they're proposing is perfectly reasonable - and anyway think what the music is doing to the ears of the festival-goers if it's loud enough to cause that much disturbance. It's not the fun police at all - just recognising that no on has a right to impose their disturbing behaviour on other people. This is really the corporate equivalent of noisy neighbours and the council are absolutely right to step in - just as you would no doubt wish them to if you had noisy neighbours living next door to you.

[Doman]

As a Lambeth resident I agree with the objection. Please don't think that we aren't conscious of the impact on the Wandsworth side. We also have to tolerate Clapham High Street becoming a noisy vomit-splattered hellhole for the duration of the festival. I hope they rein it back in.

[Marmot-in-london]

Fun police indeed as a Mum of a 7 year old who lives v close to the common it is not a lot of fun moving him around the house to find a quiet room to sleep in. You try.
The other galling thing is where does the money from the "cashcow" go. It seems NOT on the children's playgrounds, esp the loos which need refurbishing/opening. Of course 4-7 yr olds never need the loos when you are out do they???
We went away for the weekend this year but it is not the best weekend to go away being the end of the long summer hols and I worry re security leaving the house empty.
Of course we need to use C Common for events but some control is needed.

[astro]

Agree with Wandsworth I'm afraid - and I've enjoyed plenty of music festivals in my time so am not against fun! I'm on the northside of the common and could hear thumping base all weekend, and when my 2 year old kept asking 'what that loud noise is' when playing in our backyard, I decided enough was enough and rang to complain.
One of my points was that if events like this are held and we are inconvenienced, then it would certainly help if we saw the benefits in terms of updates to the common facilities.

[graceygirl]

Yawn. Three days out of the entire year.

I agree they should be investing the money back into the park, I think THIS is the main issue

[papinian]

I'm afraid that the money from the concerts doesn't go towards Wandsworth Common. It's squandered by Lambeth Council on the pet interests of Labour Lambeth councillors.

Example:
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/l ... 15366.html

[Wandsworth Council]

People interested in this subject may care to read the Lambeth Council committee report which approved plans for more and louder events each year on Clapham Common (See item 5 - p309 onwards).

https://moderngov.lambeth.gov.uk/docume ... t.pdf?T=10

According to the report this change will generate additional funds and help towards meeting the £380k cost of staging the annual Lambeth Country Show

[firsttimerSW11]

Hello Wandsworth. If you, a borough of not inconsiderable clout, cannot get through to arrogant Lambeth (complete with very own God complex) what hope do you think its lowly tax payers have? I admire your efforts however and will gladly sign any petition/motion you choose to file on this matter.

[papinian]

According to the report this change will generate additional funds and help towards meeting the £380k cost of staging the annual Lambeth Country Show

Am I the only person who is at the proceeds of commercial events on Clapham Common being used to fund free events at Brockwell Park.