fishboy

A couple more PR / tickbox sessions are being offered by the organisers (the expression "reaching out" really makes my skin crawl), again presumably without any council representatives attending. No sign of the results of the consultation yet, or when the meeting is to decide whether to grant the licence... To whom it may concern, We are reaching out to invite you to our upcoming Residents & Stakeholder Drop In Sessions for Gala 2025. We are hosting two drop-in style sessions to facilitate more in depth conversations, allowing us to run through our plans for 2025 and to discuss how we are going to address your feedback. We look forward to meeting you in person and discussing our event plans for both Gala and our new community day, On The Rye Festival, in more detail. Lunchtime Session: Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM Date: Monday 17th of March Location: Watson's General Telegraph, 108 Forest Hill Rd, London SE22 0RS. Evening Session: Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Date: Monday 17th of March Location: Watson's General Telegraph, 108 Forest Hill Rd, London SE22 0RS. As these are drop-in sessions, you can arrive at any time during the below sessions - but it would be greatly appreciated if you could advise on an approximate arrival time. If you would like to attend, please respond with: Your name Your address Your estimated time of arrival We really appreciate your feedback and taking the time to attend our engagement meetings. Yours sincerely, Community Team | GALA Festival [email protected]

I can't recommend this site highly enough - https://www.ftla.uk/index.php It's a group of legal people who give (free!) advice on these issues. Often they can spot where councils haven't followed correct procedure, which can be grounds for appeal. Have a search for similar cases on there (there's usually an offence code which helps) and you may find someone in the same situation who had a successful appeal. One big issue with many councils is the information given online about how much your fine currently is, and what date it will increase - it's often incorrect, and tribunals have regularly upheld appeals because of it. Lewisham recently declined to contest my appeal at tribunal, mainly because of this issue. It's definitely worth checking out some other cases on this website, and asking for advice. It's so frustrating when the fine far outweighs the 'crime'...

It's not the end of the world, no, and I don't think anyone's got anything against people gathering to enjoy music in an open space. But people having zero care or consideration for that open space and a private company not honouring their responsibilities is the real issue. Excluding local families from the best area in the park for a month, then leaving it as a littered wasteland for the rest of the summer really isn't acceptable, is it? And just to make it clear what is left behind...

Hopefully a final post on this thread (for now...) Alerted by the horrible sound of a chainsaw this morning from near the cherry tree, I scuttled over to the park to make sure there hadn't been another "misunderstanding". The contractors were removing a 'double' tree from the triangle area nearby. I asked them about the cherry, and they confirmed that they wouldn't be removing it. We were then joined by a very worried looking man who turned out to be the tree officer for the park. He had apparently been on a walk around with members of FoPRP, had also been alerted by the proximity of the chainsaw, and was also relieved to see it wasn't the cherry being removed. He also confirmed that they wouldn't be removing the cherry, but that it was diseased in the lower trunk / roots and therefore would fall over at some point. To this end they are investigating methods to provide it with some support, to hopefully prolong it's life. He definitely understood & appreciated the importance of & affection for this particular tree. Hopefully someone from FoPRP can provide us with updates as & when they occur. I've suggested before that maybe Gala could contribute some cash towards it's protection, especially as they caused some damage to it last year...

A "natural" bank on the lake island, earlier... No idea why the wildfowl chicks can't just hop up there to escape the foxes, herons, crows, cats etc...

Apparently they are considered an "invasive species" so shouldn't be transported anywhere - the volunteer who took the injured parent away was technically breaking the law. The thread is here, just shows how nothing has changed with regard to loose dogs around the lake -

One of the main reasons these goslings don't survive is because once they leave their nest on the island, they are unable to return to it's safety because of the height of the artificial bank - it's basically a brick wall, with no natural slope. So they & their parents are left to try to fend off predators either in the water or on the outer bank - literally sitting ducks. I think in the last 10 years I've only seen a handful of goslings survive to maturity, and that's with two broods per year, often six, eight, ten goslings per brood. It's very sad, and just needs the council / parks to remove some bricks to create a more natural sloped bank so they can access the safety of the island. I've asked many times, and hoped some of the Gala "biodiversity" funds could be used, but to no avail. There are signs all around the lake stating dogs should be on a lead, but many owners seem to miss them, and don't appear to be concerned that the wildfowl are visibly & audibly disturbed by their presence, or aware how much damage their dogs can do. A few years back a loose dog attacked a male Egyptian goose and injured it so badly that it had to be taken to a sanctuary. Egyptian geese mate for life, so the female has remained alone ever since.

The key thing to stress is that everything they want to do is just a PROPOSAL at the moment, and the important thing is for everyone who objects to take part in the consultation and hopefully force the council to accept what a ridiculous & unacceptable proposition it is! The consultation ends on 10th Feb - http://www.southwark.gov.uk/Gala2025

I went to the early meeting, it was just the usual attempt to placate local residents. I guess the main points were that due to the new flood alleviation 'bunds' they can't use the usual entrance opp Harris Boys to bring in equipment etc, so they & the council are proposing using the gates opp Harris Girls and laying trackway all the way across to the site. I raised the point that that section of road is always busy with cars parked both sides, they said they'd look into restrictions. I also asked if they'd considered that there will be students taking GCSE exams at that time who could be disturbed by the activity, they said they hadn't (what a surprise...) and would talk to the school. I also pointed out that the majority of damage was caused by the trackway, so they are effectively knowingly causing more damage than last year. Note that there is more trackway all around the site than previously. The increased site footprint is apparently replacing space lost to the 'bunds'. They said they used that space for storage, but curiously none of the extra space will be for storage, so it is actually increasing the size of the festival. I pointed out that the entrance area is on a Gaelic football pitch, they said the council said it wouldn't be in use at that time, I responded that it would, by families trying to have picnics & play sports with their kids because the rest of the park has been annexed. I also suggested that this was the start of the festival creeping further east, to which there was no comment. The extra day is for a "community day", details of exactly what this would entail - music, workshops, food, theatre - who requested / wanted it, and how many attendees they expected, were very sketchy. I suggested it was just a fairly transparent attempt to curry favour with the local community and make a precedent for a longer festival, rather than a genuine & honest desire to contribute something truly beneficial. There were no definitive plans to tackle the anti social behaviour, littering or environmental damage over & above the ineffective actions of previous years. Official minicab drop off / pick up will be by the Clock House, but again no way of enforcing this. Gala are constantly citing the opportunities for local acts, traders & employees as benefits from the festival, however they admitted not having any figures to quantity this. I requested they therefore cease to use these as benefits without proof of validity. I once again raised the issue of the wildlife survey they commission being woefully inadequate, as it only surveys within the site, and seems only concerned with bird nests. There are other forms of wildlife - they were unaware of the Stag beetle population in the SW corner - and lots of birds nesting in the surrounding trees which will be disturbed. Again, no response, which confirms it is just a tick box exercise rather than a genuine attempt to guage the impact to flora & fauna. That's all for now, I'm sure others have more. Basically, same as always, but bigger & longer...

It's the tree near the triangle. If the proposal for the enlarged festival site is approved (or should I say when...) it should be in less danger than previously, as the giant green shield wall will just skirt the south side of it, rather than go around it - which was where the lopping happened. It also looks like it will be surrounded by "Heras" fencing, which I think is the sort of stuff used during the recent flood alleviation works. But of course there is a huge scope for "misunderstandings"... GALA 2025 site plan.pdf

To clarify a few points- I didn't just happen to be passing, I saw the workmen setting up equipment worryingly close to the tree from my front window, so put my shoes on and headed over there as quickly as possible just in case. Unfortunately they had already lopped a few branches off in the two minutes it took me to get there. Although I didn't see them attach a notice, the wording on the notice pictured above has the same terminology that they used with me - fungal brackets - so presumably it was them. I have no idea who removed the sign, or why. Also worth mentioning that they were third party contractors, carrying out work orders from the council. I'm a bit confused by the 'mistaken tree' comments, as Councillor Renata Hamvas posted on a Facebook thread that she had raised the issue with the relevant council officers, and that the response she received is that the tree does have a fungal infection. So there seems to be conflicting info there, and I'm concerned that the tree is still in danger.

I was one of the locals who challenged the workmen, mainly because I presumed it was related to Gala again. Due to this presumption the exchanges were initially heated, but once they had explained the situation we had a reasonable conversation. Another man did come over to have a bit of a rant at them, but left fairly soon having made his objections known. When I queried the lack of notice, they said they'd been asked to remove the tree as a matter of urgency due to the high winds - the roots are apparently diseased. However they said the work order had been issued two weeks ago, and couldn't say why there had been no notice attached. They also couldn't produce any work order, or contact details for the person at the council who had issued it. They then agreed to stop work on the removal, put up the requisite notice, and arrange to return in "a couple of weeks". I tried to call the Tree dept at the council for some clarification, but it went through to an answerphone which was apparently full. I've emailed them to ask what the situation is, and why they aren't more communicative & transparent with these things. My family love & cherish that tree (dubbed "Favourite Tree" by our kids when they could barely talk), if it is diseased & dangerous then it's very sad and we'll have to accept it. But surely the council understand that they really must explain these things fully to prevent misunderstanding, distrust & protest? To be clear, the issue is with a fungal infection of the roots, so absolutely nothing to do with kids climbing it, runners hanging kit off it etc. etc. Can we therefore end any persecution of perceived tree damaging parties?

I will admit to not having read every post in this thread, but I felt I had to point out something relevant that I don't think has been mentioned, and is often not addressed in these kinds of exchanges. I think we can all agree that, in general, cycling is A Good Thing - for exercise, travel, enjoyment, environment. I think we can also agree that most people who use bikes are Good People, who observe the highway code, have lights, indicate etc. In all areas of life, there are a minority of people who are selfish, inconsiderate, thoughtless and arrogant, who believe that rules don't apply to them and they can do what they want, when they want. This attitude may be cultivated from background, society, media, genetics - who knows? This attitude & behaviour manifests itself in many ways, depending on the situation. The person who plays loud music on the bus. The person who has a loud conversation on their mobiles. The person who parks in disabled or family spaces without a permit or kids. The person (eg minicabs) who obstruct a busy road by double parking with their hazard lights on. The person who leaves their Lime bike in the middle of the pavement. The person who doesn't pick up their dog's excrement in the park. The person who rides their bike too fast, or through red lights while pedestrians are crossing. So I think my point is - it's not a licensing thing, or a regulatory thing, it's a social thing. The issue has nothing to do with what form of transport anyone is using, it's about that individual person and their inconsiderate attitude. Don't penalise everyone just because of the actions of a few, who will always behave in that manner whatever they're doing. I have no idea what the answer is, how to educate these people that being an antisocial d**k really isn't acceptable...

So here we go again, but with a proposal for a bigger and longer event. This despite the massive failings (again) last year with serious & long lasting damage to our park throughout the summer, lack of effective waste management, widespread public nuisance by the attendees, and of course the noise. Every year GALA are set conditions for their event licence, every year they fail to meet them, then every year they are granted a licence again - depressing. First impressions from the site plan - the proposed footprint has increased dramatically, sprawling further down & across our park (image attached with 2024 footprint in orange & 2025 extension in red). There will be a music stage within 50m of our front room. The entrance area will be on a sports pitch. The trackway for heavy plant access will be across two sports fields. The entrance / exit for heavy plant will be opposite a school. The road at that point is regularly gridlocked due to parked & waiting cars. Increased trackway = increased damage to grass. I'm sure there's plenty more that is unacceptable... It's clear that we all need to comment on this consultation, but it's not clear how to actually add comments / participate. The email & consultation document both direct you to the GALA page on the council website - www.southwark.gov.uk/Gala2025 - but this only has details of the GALA PR sessions, not the official consultation. I've raised this with the council, I'll post if I get a response. I've also raised the issue that the council's Outdoor Event Policy states that "Applications for major events must be submitted a minimum of nine months prior to the event start date.", which would have been August 29th 2024 for this application. This is apparently necessary to give sufficient time for things like consultations...

I was away for the whole of August, so couldn't attend, but have had an email from GALA which I'll be following up on & arranging a zoom call... "We are proposing afternoon meetings between September 16th and September 24th for a zoom call. If you would like to schedule this, please respond with your preferred date and time within this period. We will do our best to arrange a meeting that fits your timetable. I have also attached the bird nesting report, which we can discuss with you alongside the biodiversity fund in the call. Thank you for your cooperation. Best regards, GALA"

Ok, for clarity, this meeting is being organised by GALA and will be hosted by their PR team. It is likely there won't be any councillors or council officials in attendance. If you've been to the previous format meetings you will know that they will listen to your complaints / praise / suggestions, nod their heads, make the right sounds, make promises and assurances that they'll do better next year, then just do the same as last year. I'm being realistic, not negative - why would it be any different from previous years? Except rather than facing ten or twenty engaged, experienced locals it will be three or four of them against individuals - much easier to manage! As for location, I presume these meetings are supposed to be for the very local people who are most affected by it, there's any number of closer venues (that they've used before) so why make it a long walk / short bus trip for us? And the middle of August? No one's on holiday then, are they? If anyone didn't get the email and wants to go, write to [email protected] I'm sure they'll be happy to accommodate you... Oh also, the works going on now have got nothing to do with GALA or attempting to make the ground drier. It is to create flood containment areas to cater for a "once in a 100 years" storm event. So once they're complete, unless this dreaded storm occurs, it will look much the same as before but with some small "bunds" (metre high earth barriers) on the NW perimeters of park & rye...

I've just received this via email, it's the annual box ticking exercise so that GALA can be seen to be listening to the local community. Interesting that they've decided not to host it 'hyper locally' (their favourite expression), presumably hoping it will deter some people so they'll have fewer complaints to try to fend off. Also interesting they've chosen to host "drop-in style sessions" rather than the usual hybrid meeting, presumably to divide & conquer; easier to brush off individuals than a collective? Might be worth being organised and turning up as a group? Hello! We would like to invite you to the Gala Festival Stakeholder Debrief on Wednesday 7th August at Peckham Levels, 95a Rye Ln, London SE15 4ST. We have decided to host two drop-in style sessions. This setup allows us to have in-depth discussions with each of you about the outcomes, experiences, and insights from GALA 2024. This is an opportunity for us to hear your feedback, address any specific queries, and discuss how we can improve future events. On arrival at Peckham Levels please make your way to the bar on level 5 & 6 and one of the Peckham Levels team will direct you to The Auditorium. Lunchtime Session: Time: 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Date: Wednesday 7th August Location: The Auditorium, Peckham Levels Evening Session: Time: 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Date: Wednesday 7th August Location: The Auditorium, Peckham Levels If you plan to attend please could you RSVP to this email to confirm, if you are able provide a time you'd expect to arrive this would be really helpful too. We look forward to hearing from you and really hope you can make it. Best regards, The GALA team

My partner has never been a confident road user (doesn't drive) but since the cycle superhighways and various other cycle routes increased a few years ago she has been commuting every weekday from ED to St Pancras. She's found some routes that are 75% off road 25% quiet roads so doesn't have the stress of dealing with traffic. It has given her freedom from public transport, increased her fitness, her general health, her mental wellbeing - she absolutely loves her rides every day and does it in all weathers. So more cycle routes please!

The point I was trying to make is that this is a tiny fraction of what is still there, and this is after the organisers have apparently had a specialist clean up team do several sweeps. GALA made assurances (and their licence stipulated) that our park would be returned to the same state as they found it. A "good effort" isn't acceptable; our park is gradually being turned into a rubbish tip. All those items are from the festival - it's exactly the same items that were there in the days after the area was reopened to the public, so they're not from "bau" users. This is a public park - our park - why should we just accept & put up with this kind of thing?

Went for a 30 minute amble in our park last Thursday, managed to find all this just in the southern part of the ex-GALA site. Wasn't really looking that hard, although lots were hiding in the now grown grass or embedded in the now dried mud. So nearly a month after their 'clean up' there remains a huge quantity of non-biodegradable crap discarded by supposedly thoughtful & considerate festival goers & contractors. Just depressing.

There was a consultation which provoked a huge response - 98% vehemently opposed to the proposed extension - after which GALA apparently decided to withdraw the application, citing issues with other promoters not being available, or some such reason. I suspect that Southwark would have happily given them the licence even with such opposition. They don't seem to care that every year GALA fail to uphold all the conditions they have set for the licence, and just give them another the following year with the same conditions. I'm afraid I get really annoyed with all the 'let people have fun' & 'they want a pretty place to dance' & 'it's really well organised' comments. If the punters that go had even an iota of respect & consideration for the park then fine, but they really don't. The amount of litter dropped is staggering - fag butts, filter tip tubes, ring pulls, bottle caps, disposable vapes - and it isn't cleared by GALA's 'waste management' team (as promised - again), so it's still all there - go and have a look. And I've said before, if you haven't witnessed the anti social behaviour that goes on around the site for the whole weekend up close, then I don't think you're in a position to comment on the effect to the local community. I personally saw men & women openly p*ssing in the park, on the streets & pavements around the park, one group having a nitrous oxide party in the street opposite our home, and chucking the canisters into the park. To say that the repair work is looking good is massively missing the point - it shouldn't need any repair work! It's a public park!! It looks like a building site in the middle of summer when it should look like a park! Where people can sit and enjoy the nature & wildlife, not try to pretend it's not really a rubbish tip.

I've just gone over for the first time, and oh my - got to be the worst one yet. My issue has never been with the noise - although it is intolerable, it is only for three days. My issue is the environmental damage to our lovely park, which lasts a lot, lot longer. The obvious damage to the landscape is shocking - so widespread, so deep - but perhaps even worse is the litter. Without even looking too hard, within a few minutes I'd found dozens of bottle tops, can ring pulls, tubes of filter tips, fag butts, cut off cable ties, disposable vapes, even a tampon applicator, all either hiding in the longer grass where the entrance was, or embedded in the dried mud. This is apparently after there have been several 'teams' of litter pickers over the whole area, and representatives of the council have walked the area and given it the thumbs up. These are all things that aren't going to decompose, so will be embedded in the ground forever, literally turning the park into a rubbish tip. I just don't know how this can be allowed to happen, again and again and again? May I suggest that before anyone comments on this post, or on the state of the park, they go and have a good, slow, careful, hard look first, over the whole site. Try and find some litter, I guarantee it will be a matter of minutes before you do, then you'll find some more, and some more, and some more...

I think you're missing the point; this is one of the most popular parts of the park, and after a month of being inaccessible it is now effectively unusable - who would want to sit in the middle of that mess? And yes, they could do 'remedial' works, but it will take months to get back to some kind of acceptable condition, and then the summer has gone. You say "some" of it looks trifling, which means a lot of it isn't - deep corrugations from the trackway etc. The fact is that GALA are unable to return the site to us in the same condition, or better, than it was before - another lie that they spouted just to secure a licence and placate those tiresome 'locals'. So, again, why should we have to put up with this, every year? PS they also haven't cleared away the yellow event road signs yet either - another thing they promised they would do better / quicker this year...

Why should we have to?!? It's our park, it's the summer - why should we have to put up with it looking like a wasteland for even a day after GALA have p***ed off to count their money?!?

Not looking quite how it did before GALA turned up, I'll be very interested to know what they can do to "reinstate" it & how long it will take to recover. And how they're going to remove all the litter - there'll be plenty of fag butts, filter tips, cable ties, bottle tops, ring pulls and god knows what else firmly stuck in that mud...