Music festivals criticised for turning park into 'prison camp'

Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance claims that annual music festivals are destroying the peace and wildlife of Brockwell Park in London

Mark Rylance arriving at the celebrity screening of Phantom of the Open at Ham Yard Hotel in London in 2022. The actor has criticised annual music festivals held in a south London park as harmful

Actor Mark Rylance has said annual music festivals held in a London park turn the site into a "prison camp".

Brockwell Park in Lambeth holds a series of events called Brockwell Live over the summer months.

Wolf Hall actor, Mark Rylance has backed a petition to stop events this year due to feature the likes of pop star Kesha and Eurovision winner Loreen.

The Oscar-winning star, who lives nearby, claimed the events are "destroying" the south London park and its wildlife.

Mark Rylance as Thomas Cromwell in Wolf Hall. The actor has said: "Enough is enough, stop the walls." Picture: PA Photo/BBC/Company Productions Ltd/Giles Keyte

Established in 2018, the events, including pop festival Mighty Hoopla, draw more than 300,000 people to the 125-acre park over 16 days.

Kesha and Loreen will be performing on June 1 and other stars including former Little Mix singer Jade Thirlwall will appear on May 31.

Campaigners claim the festival is causing environmental harm to the park with the installation of steel fencing affecting its grass and trees.

The Protect Brockwell Park group has raised more than £31,000 and sent a legal letter challenging Lambeth Council's decision to allow the festivals without planning permission.

According to The Times, Rylance said: "Brockwell Park is a place for people and nature. It is essential to many people's mental health, to our joy, our healing grief. It was a gift to the local community and is held in trust for us by Lambeth.

"The imposition of high steel walls for Brockwell Live every summer destroys the park for weeks and harms the grass, trees and plant life for months — if not for ever. It turns it into a prison camp.

"I fully support this campaign to legally challenge our Lambeth governors and make a new arrangement for our park. Enough is enough. Stop the walls."

Mark Rylance as The BFG.  Picture: PA Photo/Entertainment One

A well-known advocate for environmental issues, the actor has previously called for a reduction in fossil fuels and backed calls for cases against environmental protesters to be dropped. Rylance is also a patron of environmental charity Planet Purbeck.

Protect Brockwell Park, represented by environmental law specialists Goodenough Ring, has sent a pre-action letter to Lambeth Council which could lead to a judicial review of its decision to grant a certificate of lawful development for the events, the authority confirmed.

Campaigners are calling for greater public consultation, a temporary halt to festivals to allow the land to recover, and compensation from event organisers to address environmental damage.

The council charges festivals owner Superstruct for use of the park but confirmed it does not make profit from the events.

Protect Brockwell Park said: "Our beautiful Brockwell Park is a haven for nature and of immense value to the people of Lambeth and Southwark, but it's under threat from private, large-scale events.

"We are local people fighting a million-pound company whose unsustainable business practices are damaging our trees, disturbing wildlife, compacting the soil and fencing off huge areas of the park for weeks at a time."

Lambeth Council said it invests £500,000 a year in maintaining Brockwell Park.

The park, featuring Grade II-listed Brockwell Hall, is made up of 50.8 hectares of green space and hosts a lido, walled garden and clock tower. It was bought by Lambeth Council in 1986.

A council spokesperson said: "The area of the park used for events has been independently assessed as being of low ecological sensitivity grassland, and there is no ecological damage caused as a result.

"Income from events is helping us put money into diversity projects in other areas of the park, with at least £20,000 invested in this way last year.

"We appreciate there can be impacts on people in the surrounding neighbourhood. Alongside organisers we are working hard to minimise disruption, having a 24-hour helpline and staff in the streets throughout the course of events.

"We have also moved the date of events in Brockwell Park to earlier in the year so the entire park is available throughout the school summer holidays.

"The council has received a pre-action protocol letter in relation to a judicial review claim for Brockwell Park, and are currently considering this."