Gala setting up on Peckham Rye

[Spartacus]

I would love to see where in relation to the event those for it and those against it live

I suspect those for it will mostly not live within earshot and those against will mostly be within earshot or on roads that will be directly impacted.

I could be speculating but would love to know.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Soylent Green Wrote:

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> They are not private events as

> everyone can pay to attend

Ha ha ha ha! 😂 Brilliant satire!

[first mate]

See: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jul/05/revealed-how-london-parks-are-partly-privatised-festivals-wireless-finsbury-park

Soylent Green Wrote:

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> I've not been to Gala but I have been to X The

> Tracks in Brockwell Park and On Blackheath and

> loved them both. It's a great way to do a

> festival without the camping and these events have

> a great community vibe. Let's not forget, every

> council has events on their common land for local

> people to enjoy. They are not private events as

> everyone can pay to attend - a private event would

> surely be by invitation only - so it is not

> privatisation of common land. Totally support

> your right to grumble, but let's let this go

> ahead.

[Lebanums]

Spartacus Wrote:

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> I would love to see where in relation to the event

> those for it and those against it live

>

> I suspect those for it will mostly not live within

> earshot and those against will mostly be within

> earshot or on roads that will be directly

> impacted.

>

> I could be speculating, but would love to know.

I live 2 streets away. I have been a few times and love the vibe (especially when Horsemeat Disco are playing). When at home, don't find the noise intrusive. I have a choice, I can either let it bother me or not.

[Nigello]

Some people are not as highly evolved along the astral plane, L! Some people find it annoying and distracting because it is, not because they choose to make it so.

[DuncanW]

Peckham Rye Common and Park is already significantly subdivided for different sections of the local community to use and by definition to the exclusion of others - some temporary, periodic, some permanent

The Common gives over a large amount of space to Aussie Rules Football in the summer

Zippo's Circus and Carter's Steam Fair are regular vistors

There is a cafe that is for paying customers only

Friends of Peckham Rye fold an annual fete

There is an annual 10K running event

A play park

A car park

The Park has ParkRun every Saturday morning and marked out football pitches where local teams play

A bowling green - not currently in use

A gated off picnic area

An adventure playground and a younger kids' play park

Changing rooms for the football

A skate park

An outdoor gym

The point being, none of us have free rein to use all areas of this wonderful open space at all times as it stands, and it's been this way for long time. Why can't we live together?

[Nigello]

A 10k run or a romp in a sandpit is not the same as two (or is it three) days of turf-churning, ear-thumping music and all the traffic and litter that goes with it. I can see why it is attractive to some and annoying to others but to pretend it is a run-of-the-mill event doesn't wash.

[DuncanW]

It's three days - my point was more in response to the 'privatisation' of public space posts

A couple of other posts came in as I was typing.

I also see that the music/noise is attractive to some and annoying to others

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Can you hear the play park from 2 streets away? Does the Friends of Peckham Rye annual fete create a lot of litter? 🤣🤣🤣 Come off it, mate.

I can see the point if the rental income (after the cost of wear and tear, clear up in surrounding streets, and hosing down the piss of x thousand twonked clubbers) for the council is significant. Is it? There was a suggestion that Lambeth makes peanuts out of the Brockwell Park festivals.

[DuncanW]

Hi DKH,

Sorry, I was just addressing the contention that sectioning off a segment of PR for use by one particular section of the community to the exclusion of others is a precedent which would lead to privatisation of that and other public space. I don't agree that is the case and gave examples of areas of PR that can't be used by all as they are reserved, sometimes with a cost attached, sometimes not for specific groups.

Of course, any large scale event will bring some noise, disruption and litter with it. That is for each individual to weigh up whether or not they think the enjoyment the event brings to x1000s of folk is worth it or not. I think it is, others evidently disagree.

In response to your questions, we don't tend to hear the play play-park, but 100% can hear the Aussie Rules people - why can't they play that game more quietly??

GALA/This Is The Fair have a contract with the council to leave the site as they found it. The council keep a deposit from them to make sure this happens. If you've ever been out on the Common the morning after any balmy weekend evening - you'd be well aware that people sadly leave quite a lot of litter behind them, with or without Gala.

[Lebanums]

There is noise from the fairground & circus, lots of litter around then also. But we can't hold them responsible for the actions of individuals. I have no interest in either, but adult enough to understand different strokes for different folks.

Gala may be there for 3 days, the music cut off is 10.30 on a bank holiday, and people are guided out of the park through one entrance. They also actively raise funds for Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers (SCDAS).

[DuncanW]

https://thisisgala.co.uk/fullSite/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/GALA-Sustainability-Report-1.pdf

They have just released their sustainability report. It's more around macro issues than local nuisance type issues tbf.

Trigger warning: it does include pictures of people enjoying themselves :)

[hpsaucey]

For those saying that Gala is only there for 3 days, the area will be blocked off for the build /deinstall for 19 days from 23rd May and 10th June.

HP

[Lebanums]

hpsaucey Wrote:

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> For those saying that Gala is only there for 3

> days, the area will be blocked off for the build

> /deinstall for 19 days from 23rd May and 10th

> June.

>

> HP

There is still a huge section of the park to be enjoyed around this, I don't get your point?

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

DuncanW Wrote:

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> Hi DKH,

>

>

> Of course, any large scale event will bring some

> noise, disruption and litter with it. That is for

> each individual to weigh up whether or not they

> think the enjoyment the event brings to x1000s of

> folk is worth it or not.

TBH mate instead of saying "well, it's okay if piss and litter get spread around by punters at a for-profit event so long as enough people enjoy it", I'd rather have the for-profit organisers pay enough that the council can clean up the crap quickly from the park and surrounding streets and still make a profit.

If the council isn't doing that, then the promoters should piss off and find a suitable privately-owned venue. That's especially true when the people that bear the downsides of the event aren't the same people that get to enjoy it.

https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/uvicmicroeconomics/chapter/5-1-externalities/

[DuncanW]

That's a bit of a mischaracterisation of what I said. You can't hold a large-scale event without there being some 'externalities' and that is true of much economic activity. So we need to make decisions about what we will and won't put up with. And, as you say, how we manage them.

We could decide that, as there will always be social costs (noise/litter) when large scale music and sporting events happen, that we don't allow any of them - I believe this is what the Taliban did in Afghanistan.

We could potentially decide that these events are okay, as long as they are not in our back yard. There's a name for that.

We could allow any and all events to go ahead with no control or regulation - who cares if people are making money and having fun. I'm not in favour of that.

I could not agree with you more that the organisers should hold responsibility for cleaning up after the event - and minimising disruption/litter etc during the event.

They do that already - albeit via a slightly different model in that Gala are responsible for the clean-up and they pay a hefty deposit to LB Southwark that they only get back if they uphold the agreement.

Have a read of the sustainability document I posted earlier. If we are going to have events in public parks, I think we could do a lot worse than this lot.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

DuncanW Wrote:

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> I believe this is what the Taliban

> did in Afghanistan.

What the Taliban did was much worse than tell promoters "if you're just going to spread litter and noise and block off the park, you can fuck off and find a private landlord for your gig".

However, if you really think that not being able to have a 3 day rave in a public park is comparable to Taleban atrocities in Afghanistan - maybe it's a bit of perspective that's in order.

[hpsaucey]

Lebanums Wrote:

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> hpsaucey Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > For those saying that Gala is only there for 3

> > days, the area will be blocked off for the

> build

> > /deinstall for 19 days from 23rd May and 10th

> > June.

> >

> > HP

>

> There is still a huge section of the park to be

> enjoyed around this, I don't get your point?

The point is its not just for 3 days. I assume 'park' is a typo and you mean common.

HP

[Lebanums]

hpsaucey Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Lebanums Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > hpsaucey Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > For those saying that Gala is only there for

> 3

> > > days, the area will be blocked off for the

> > build

> > > /deinstall for 19 days from 23rd May and 10th

> > > June.

> > >

> > > HP

> >

> > There is still a huge section of the park to be

> > enjoyed around this, I don't get your point?

>

> The point is its not just for 3 days. I assume

> 'park' is a typo and you mean common.

>

> HP

But I still don't get your point, whether it be common or park (clutching at straws here). You have ample space to do whatever you please. Of course, time is required to set up & complete the safety procedures. The other posts are on noise & litter, so for 3 days yes, there will be some noise, as there is when the circus of fairground is there. As for litter, I have seen many young groups drinking in Sexby Gardens over the course of the good weather, leaving their rubbish behind them, and using the bushes as their toilet, lots of families picnicking and not taking their rubbish with them. I don't believe the festival can take full accountability for litter.

[hpsaucey]

Lebanums Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> hpsaucey Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Lebanums Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > hpsaucey Wrote:

> > >

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> >

> > > -----

> > > > For those saying that Gala is only there

> for

> > 3

> > > > days, the area will be blocked off for the

> > > build

> > > > /deinstall for 19 days from 23rd May and

> 10th

> > > > June.

> > > >

> > > > HP

> > >

> > > There is still a huge section of the park to

> be

> > > enjoyed around this, I don't get your point?

> >

> > The point is its not just for 3 days. I assume

> > 'park' is a typo and you mean common.

> >

> > HP

>

> But I still don't get your point, whether it be

> common or park (clutching at straws here). You

> have ample space to do whatever you please. Of

> course, time is required to set up & complete the

> safety procedures. The other posts are on noise &

> litter, so for 3 days yes, there will be some

> noise, as there is when the circus of fairground

> is there. As for litter, I have seen many young

> groups drinking in Sexby Gardens over the course

> of the good weather, leaving their rubbish behind

> them, and using the bushes as their toilet, lots

> of families picnicking and not taking their

> rubbish with them. I don't believe the festival

> can take full accountability for litter.

Fine - if you don't 'get' my point, you don't get my point. I was simply correcting those saying it's 3 days. The actual festival yes, but the build, hoardings and deinstall isn't three days its 19.

It's quite a large area of the common close to the pathways across it, the cafe and the playground. I've not seen what routes /pathways will be used by vehicles to access/bring the build onto site etc. 19 days for one event is 2/3s of a month. If they do run more events - did someone say 2 or 3? then this is potentially a chunk of the common or park shut for 38/57 days of the year.

I love festivals! I love music! I'm personally actually glad its not in the park, so less likely to disturb wildlife. But it is still going to impact on a lot of common users. To say otherwise is disingenuous.

'The other posts are on noise and litter' -So? Mine isn't. The whole thread is about Gala on Peckham Rye, including the creeping increase in the number of events being run on it and the impact this has.

HP

[Penguin68]

Surely there are just 2 key issues here:-

1. Do the charges for use of the area take into account the full time of occupation and not just the time of the event itself?

2. Does the contract place the costs of restoring the area (including re-turfing or re-seeding, levelling etc.) clearly on the shoulders of the Gala organisers and not on local taxpayers? [And I am assuming that costs of e.g. policing will also be picked up by the organisers)

I would add a third, perhaps, that the income from the event should be ring-fenced for expenditure on Southwark parks, so that park users got a clear benefit from their temporary loss of use.

An event, such as the Gala, may be annoying to some people living locally, but also be seen as bonus by others, for whom attendance will be made easy. For convenience I assume, without evidence to the contrary, that the local benefits and dis-benefits will broadly cancel each other out.

[Lee Scoresby]

I noticed this thread in passing and feel impelled to correct the astonishing naivete and 'historical amnesia' expressed here. Please refer to EDF threads from earlier years to be educated.

Every summer for years now, this crew of North-London public-school tossers has been allowed to inflict their rave misery on the Park and a wide area around, with the connivence of nameless-faceless Southwark officials and spineless, invisible local councillors. I invite you to try to identify who 'We Are the Gala' actually is ... good luck with that. I invite you to try to discover the terms of the relevant contract: you will find it concealed behind so-called 'commercial confidentiality' (LOL). I invite you ask for a meaningful response from your ward councillors ... again, good luck with that (LOL again).

To the extended hours of extraordinarily loud and unpleasant bass noise, vibration and echo, add: the felling beforehand of healthy, beautiful trees to allow these idiots access ... then weeks of: strutting security thugs ... large areas denied to local people ... and disruption from heavy equipment ... followed by: widespread faecal deposits, needles and rubbish in the bushes ... and extensive ground damage which is never, ever properly remediated aftewards. (Priceless excuse from a previous year: "Oh, well no, we didn't use the roller - it was somewhere else that day." MEGA-MEGA LOL)

My family always evacuates our home for that weekend - which I very deeply resent having to do. I feel sorry for the old people, the housebound and others unable to get away. It is an absolute betrayal by 'our' council. Promises are made every year - they're just empty PR to allow them to get away with this abuse one more time.

This is a very powerful example of an unaccountable authority and the absence of any meaningful local democracy. I'm sure Southwark does receive a flood of complaints every year. The thing is: they don't give a tinker's cuss - it's factored in. You can see how much they care ... they just keep doing it. Until residents organise and force this to stop - using the law courts, for example - it will continue.

To those newcomers and others who think I'm exaggerating, I say simply: you'll see.

And yes, the community event down on the Rye on the last day is fine. Because it's meant to be - it's cover for what has gone beforehand.

Lee Scoresby

[Nigello]

Yean, Scores, but you obv. don't get the "vibe"....! Ha ha ha Why can't you be like all the other middle-aged trendies and insist we have on-the-doorstep proto-festivals so you can avoid those tiresome carpark Qs and irksome portaloos?

[kissthisguy]

Niche point but I wish the organisers of these things wouldn't use single-use cable ties. Hundreds of them are always clipped off and just left on the ground. They are all over Brockwell Park even now.

[Nigello]

NOt a niche point - it is selfish and polluting to the eye and the environment. Clip them off, find out who the organiser is, and sent them to them. They may get the message, especially if you tell you you're letting the council know. Local newspapers are always keen on an enviro story...