Festivals create 'summer of disruption' in London park

Gunnersbury Park is set to host 10 live music events this summer

Concerns have been raised that west London residents are experiencing an "entire summer" of disruption each year as their local park becomes a venue for festivals.

Gunnersbury Park, which covers 190 acres, is set to host 10 live music events this summer, with 62 days being marked for "build and break" days by the event companies.

Residents have said the events cause excess noise and damage, and prevent them from accessing the park.

Gunnersbury Estate Community Interest Company (CIC), which manages the park, said doing so involved a "variety of costs" and that it reinvested money to pay for improvements and had taken measures to address complaints.

The estate is jointly owned by Hounslow and Ealing councils

'Construction site'

The Save Gunnersbury Park campaign was launched in the summer of 2022 over concerns about impact the events were having on the park.

Neil Boote, who has been using the park for 30 years and supports the campaign, said the "entire summer is disrupted in all kinds of ways".

He described it as an issue of "widespread commercial exploitation of parks" and the "conversion of a local space into a music venue".

He added that in previous years, the park was left with "plenty of debris, damage and compaction to the ground" after the summer events.

"It's a construction site," he said. "I don't go to a park to feel like I can't walk freely."

Gunnersbury Park in September 2023 after some of the summer events

The Gunnersbury estate includes two Georgian mansions, one of which operates as a museum, and more than 75 hectares of parkland.

It is jointly owned by Hounslow and Ealing councils and has been managed by Gunnersbury Estate CIC since 2018.

The CIC is also responsible for the financial upkeep of the park and buildings, with the summer programme of events supporting this, it says.

Ealing and Hounslow councils said they would work with the CIC to ensure the park was accessible and there was minimal disruption to residents during events.

Public access to parts of the park were blocked off in July 2024 for events

A spokesperson for the Save Gunnersbury Park campaign said: "It's not much of a park. People don't tend to use it in the summer."

The group called for more transparency over how the profits from the events were being used to improve and maintain the park.

The CIC has hosted festivals at the park since 2021

This was echoed by Mr Boote, who said green spaces were being "sacrificed" for events because parks "don't have enough money".

"I'd be delighted to do voluntary work in the park," he added. "I think there are hundreds who would."

'Green lungs'

John Sadler, from countryside charity CPRE London, said it was "concerning" that residents felt as though their access to a park had become "restricted".

"We are seeing many parks in London face this situation," he said. "Events going out of control. This is concerning."

Ian Ashman, trustee of CPRE London, added: "London's parks are one of our jewels. We need them, they're our green lungs."

A spokesperson for Gunnersbury Estate CIC said "maintaining and operating" the park and museum involved a variety of costs, "including landscaping, maintenance, staffing, and utilities".

The spokesperson said in 2023, it cost £2.3m to run the park and museum.

Twelve events - which took up 62 days for build and break works and 10% of the park - raised £730,000 of which "100%" was used to fund upkeep and management of the park, they said.

Hounslow and Ealing councils provided £600,000, the spokesperson added.

There was a 67% reduction in noise complaints in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, and a 28% reduction in 2023 compared to 2022, they said adding that inspections were carried out of the ground before and after events were held.

“We will continue to work together with local residents, business, event organisers and other stakeholders to enhance management of park events.

"We strive for transparency in our operations, and continued reinvestments into the park to work on improvements that we, as a community, can all share."

Salman Shaheen, Hounslow Council's cabinet member for culture, leisure and public spaces, said he "fully supported" the park's events programme.

He said it brought "world class musical acts" to the borough and "vital revenue" to fund the upkeep of the park and house, boosted the local economy and put "Hounslow on the map" as a "cultural destination".

He added a team from Hounslow Council attended every event to ensure that noise levels were not breached.

"We will continue to work closely with the CIC to ensure that this much-loved park is accessible to all and that it adheres to our high-quality environmental standards," he said.

An Ealing Council spokesperson said its grounds maintenance team, Greener Ealing, worked with the CIC on repair and restore works following events.

They added that the CIC had collaborated with residents, businesses, and other stakeholders to "enhance" the overall management of park events and "minimise disruption".