Guest post by Gaynor Lloyd
Regarding Paul Lorber's comment at 17:02 on 13 February on the latest
blog on the MIK Festival LINK
Oh, Paul, it is much, much worse than that. At the Licensing Hearing, we
were told by Magic Sound’s event organisers that Brent Council had
"identified" Northwick Park Playing Fields for these events. In fact, in the earliest report by Magic
Sound to the Arts Council, who are giving grant funding for this as part of a
"levelling up" agenda for culture in boroughs deprived of culture,
Brent is listed as getting 2 days of Magic Sound activity. And the date of that
report? July 2023.
Of course, residents and even then, in only a few roads in the Northwick
Park Ward side only heard by circular letter just before Christmas 2024. Magic
Sound's event organisers had to tell the Council to let their own very long-standing
tenants in the bungalows by the pavilion know that their homes would be around
80 metres from the stage of the K-Pop event, before they received the Magic
Sound circular letter.
Seems a bit extraordinary really
- were some of us old cynics not of the view that everything Brent Council does in our area is conducted in absolute
secrecy. After all, as I said at the Licensing Hearing, we are just at the
northern most outpost of Brent - Harrow, really.
But we outpost residents still need protecting from nuisance. Noise, for
instance. The Licence does have some conditions but mainly it's what to do if
we feel the festival is too loud. But there have been no onsite decibel sound
tests taken at different angles, under various weather conditions. Bear in mind the site is right next to the hospital
as well as surrounded by residential properties, and a care home at the entrance.
Windows will be open; the festival will be in warmer weather. Decibel data should be available, and
residents understand in practice what the Council's environmental officers view
as "acceptable" - so we know when to ring up the one dedicated noise
complaints number manned by Magic Sound for someone to trot out and measure,
and possibly find our complaint is valid - and the odd adjustment made.
Traffic to our narrow heavily parked roads - oh well, maybe a temporary
CPZ. That went down well...Then, apparently, TfL had just agreed that Northwick
Park and South Kenton tubes with their narrow, restricted tunnel entrances and
narrow platforms might not be an ideal exit strategy for 15,000 /20,000 of this
young demographic at 10:30pm having been on their feet all day at the concert.
So Magic Sound suggested they might provide up to 150 stewards to guide the 10–24-year-olds
unfamiliar with our area leaving the concert at 10:30pm to walk through the
University, across Watford Road and in long crocodile the 2.5 km to Harrow on
the Hill Station - the "hub" transport asset for the festival goers. (One
of the Committee asked if the motorcycle inhibiting barriers which inhibit passage
through the tunnels could be removed to facilitate easier egress... well, no,
as they are there for the other 362 days of the year safety for the station
users...)
You couldn't make it up. But the fact is that Magic Sound now has the
Licence. The conditions do not reflect the various suggestions made to placate
the tsunami of reasoned and serious protests and representations made on valid
licensing grounds of nuisance, public safety by over 170 residents. To be
honest, the conditions couldn't. They must be limited to activities within the
actual licensed area - OK, 2/3rds of our playing fields but not dealing with
litter and traffic and public safety issues outside that area in our
surrounding streets or en route to Harrow on the Hill.
It was obvious from the Hearing that the application was made too early
with plans only in formulation. Yet Brent Safety Advisory Group (BSAG) had
passed it even with many questions unanswered. Of course, BSAG will be our
protectors once the final details of each festival are available (31 days
before), when they make the final recommendations beyond the conditions. Some
of us - call us old cynics if you will - don't see that as very much
protection. Indeed, all due respect to the undoubtedly serious members of BSAG
- and not for one moment doubting their integrity - based on what they OK'd for
the Hearing (and on which the Committee said it was relying), the words
"chocolate" and "teapot" spring unbidden into - at least -
my mind.
So, whatever discussions take place with the applicants going forward, as
indicated, e.g., by Cllr Kennelly, we are confronted with an approved
application with inadequate conditions. Forever. So, as things stand, these Festivals will
happen, with no further resident involvement or opportunity to make
representations. Unless things go horribly wrong.
There has been a total disregard by the Council of its obligation to its
own tenants of the bungalows to give them quiet enjoyment of their homes. A
similar total disregard of residents using the fields for recreation. A complete
failure even to notify its regular formal sports hirers of the proposal, let
alone consult them. The placing of the stage over the Gaelic Football pitches
used for practice and League games over decades - and, as the set up is
scheduled to sterilise the ground for up to 10 days before the festival, and 5
days after, effectively wrecks the Gaelic Football's season. The event
organiser at the consultation event days before expiry of the consultation
deadline admitted it was the residents who had told them of the existence of
the Gaelic football pitches. The Council had not even given them details of any
hirings at all.
From the event organiser's extensive experience of events in fields like
ours, they acknowledged the likely damage to the pitches from compaction of the
ground, and that the ground would have to be restored after the event - with a
longer period therefore of unavailability. They even acknowledged that the
pitches may not recover at all. At the consultation, we were told that the work
of restoration would be covered by a financial bond. At the Hearing, there
seemed to be a pulling back from that. Of course, there is nothing in the Licensing conditions - it isn't covered by any of the
licensing objectives, which is all the Licensing Committee look at.
As to restoration, I remind myself that events in parks were
"consulted upon" in Brent's Budget Approval in February 2024. 2 pages (2024-25 – RS 13), presented by
Cabinet Member Krupa Sheth. [above] Note "There would be no impact on service users” and " there is a risk that more events in parks
may impact the natural fabric of the park and it would require organisers to
undertake full risk assessments in that regard and for the Council's approval
process to fully account for any risk"
I only knew about the "consultation
" because Brent Friends of the Earth had been invited to comment, an n we
trawled through the numerous pages for anything affecting our environment and
natural spaces. Brent FoE even responded to that consultation - reflecting some
deep concern about the effects of more events in parks - which comments we
thought had resulted in the final recommendations. Note "It is also important that any events
calendar should provide space and time between events for grounds to recover
and a proper rotation of sites to be used would be most appropriate." Now having the evidence of this first "event"
in the new policy, is it any wonder I am worried? And just who are residents
and pitch users to rely on to believe in full and timely restoration of our playing
fields at Northwick Park?
I would just finish by saying that, at the entrance to Northwick Park is
a prominent sign advertising the charitable funding for the park by the
Football Foundation. When I look this up, I find that there is a Brent Plan
dated August 2024 and, lo, Northwick Park playing fields are Priority Project 4.
Does the left hand not know what the right hand is doing? Or is the
money from Magic Sound just the only thing that matters? I would say "You
couldn't make it up" - but, heck, this is Brent Council.
