GALA Music Festival 2024 Consultation

[tomster]

GALA music festival are proposing additional days for 2024 as follows:

Arena show - one stage only (capacity 8,000) Thursday 23.05.24 17:00-22:30. They may also apply for another Arena show on 22.05.24 (not in current application)

Gala festival (capacity 9,000) 4 stages. 24.05.24 14:00 to 22:30 25.05.24 & 26.05.24 11:30-22:30

Arena show - one stage only (capacity 8,000) 27.05.24 12:00-22:00

A consultation for this has opened and details are below:

Re: GALA Music Festival 2023 – stakeholder consultation – application ref: SWKEVE000694

Please be aware that the council are in receipt of an event application for ‘GALA Music Festival 2024’. 

In line with the council’s Outdoor Events Policy and events application process we are carrying out consultation regarding this application.

The consultation opened on  Friday 17 November 2023 and will close at midnight on Monday 8 January 2024.

GALA 2024 key stakeholder engagement activity: Item Date Notes
Consultation 1starts Fri 17 Nov 2023

 Direct email to contacts on register
 Resident info letter posted to 4,957
properties (which does not reference to daily capacity covered above)  around park via Royal
Mail Info posters put up around park
(from 20/11/2023) Consultation documents available to view at Parks Office and Café(from 20/11/2023)

Community meeting 1 Weds 29 Nov 2023 Hybrid. Facilitated by event promoters and attended by council officers. For attendance please email [email protected] with the subject title ‘Gala Stakeholder meeting’ Held whilst consultation is open Consultation 1 ends Mon 8 Jan 2024 Consultation findings report published

Fri 16 Feb 2024

 All feedback is collated and a findings report is published in response. The report will indicate whether the council intends to issue a licence or not.

Consultation 2 starts Fri 16 Feb 2024
People are able to feedback on the report if they are not happy with the outcome

Community meeting 2 Thurs 22 Feb 2024
Hybrid.Facilitated by event promoters and
attended by council officers. Held whilst consultation is open. Consultation 2 ends Thurs 29 Feb 2024 

Notice of decision Fri 1 Mar 2024 A final decision about issuing a licence is made based upon feedback received during consultations 1 & 2

Decision is made by senior
management in consultation with
Cabinet Member. In case of continued dispute a senior council officer has the final decision as to whether an event can take place.

Note Limited funds from this event directly benefit the park. (A Freedom of Information request was made to the council to provide an actual breakdown of the total event fee they receive and what actually goes back into the park which they are unable to provide any details on  “due to commercial competition interests”

If you would like to comment on this application: SWKEVE000694 please email: [email protected]  and include the subject title ‘GALA consultation’ by the closing date.

 

 

[niozza]

I love how the info provided in the online stakeholder consultation differs from what they posted to local residents....specifically omitting to mention the Provisional event day on 22/5... no surprise there

[Mystic Mog]

Just got the letter from the council, looks like 5 days of torture!!!!

[Rockets]

5 days....wow! Has the capacity been increased from this year's event?

[first mate]

Cllr Rose comes over as a very determined person who will brook no objection to her 'vision,'once she is set on the path she has decided is the right one. She has determined that putting parkland up for hire and private use is a jolly good thing and that this is what the 'people' want...plus it'll fund a few things. 
 

As I have said before in other threads, I am not against a few events every summer but she is set on a course where a large and popular section of the park  will be shut off for months on end over the summer, surrounded by huge perimeter fences to deter 'jumpers' and patrolled by uniformed guards. No thanks!

[TreacleRabbit]

 

On 20/11/2023 at 11:12, tomster said:

GALA music festival are proposing additional days for 2024 as follows:

Arena show - one stage only (capacity 8,000) Wednesday 22.05.24 & Thursday 23.05.24 17:00-22:30.

Gala festival (capacity 9,000) 4 stages. 24.05.24 14:00 to 22:30 25.05.24 & 26.05.24 11:30-22:30

Arena show - one stage only (capacity 8,000) 27.05.24 12:00-22:30.

A consultation for this has opened and details are below:

Re: GALA Music Festival 2023 – stakeholder consultation – application ref: SWKEVE000694

Please be aware that the council are in receipt of an event application for ‘GALA Music Festival 2024’. 

In line with the council’s Outdoor Events Policy and events application process we are carrying out consultation regarding this application.

The consultation opened on  Friday 17 November 2023 and will close at midnight on Monday 8 January 2024.

GALA 2024 key stakeholder engagement activity: Item Date Notes
Consultation 1starts Fri 17 Nov 2023

 Direct email to contacts on register
 Resident info letter posted to 4,957
properties around park via Royal
Mail Info posters put up around park
(from 20/11/2023) Consultation documents available to view at Parks Office and Café(from 20/11/2023)

Community meeting 1 Weds 29 Nov 2023 Hybrid. Facilitated by event promoters and
attended by council officers Held whilst consultation is open Consultation 1 ends Mon 8 Jan 2024 Consultation findings report published

Fri 16 Feb 2024

 All feedback is collated and a findings report is published in response. The report will indicate whether the council intends to issue a licence or not.

Consultation 2 starts Fri 16 Feb 2024
People are able to feedback on the report if they are not happy with the outcome

Community meeting 2 Thurs 22 Feb 2024
Hybrid.Facilitated by event promoters and
attended by council officers. Held whilst consultation is open. Consultation 2 ends Thurs 29 Feb 2024 

Notice of decision Fri 1 Mar 2024 A final decision about issuing a licence is made based upon feedback received during consultations 1 & 2

Decision is made by senior
management in consultation with
Cabinet Member. In case of continued dispute a senior council officer has the final decision as to whether an event can take place.

Note Limited funds from this event directly benefit the park.

If you would like to comment on this application: SWKEVE000694 please email: [email protected]  and include the subject title ‘GALA consultation’ by the closing date.

 

 

 

Oh no - 6 nights of music in a row! That is too much.

We live close to the park and don’t mind a weekend each year for music. But 6 nights of noise is disproportionate! There will be no peace and still work & school to get up for in the mornings. It is so moody and incessant. 

long festivals should be arranged where they are not surrounded by busy urban streets, affecting thousands of people who are not involved in the festival at all. 

I have emailed Southwark. I really hope they stick to it being on one weekend. 

 

[Marguerita98]

6 nights means over a month of disruption as they set up for 2 weeks before and take down for 2 after.  The consultation is a sham.  I am on the stakeholder list but have not been 'contacted by email' as they say.  What they are trying very hard to avoid is dealing with the environmental damage to the park caused year after year. The area has not recovered from 2 years ago and vehicle track marks are becoming entrenched.  An environmental strategy simply meant a company putting up some orange wire and sewing some grass seed.  The promises to make good last year were on paper only.   This is a profit making activity that serves only the interests of the event organisers. Its not just Southwark - this article summed up the 'creeping privatisation' of common, public ground back in 2019 as councils 'sell' common land to private firms.  https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/jul/05/revealed-how-london-parks-are-partly-privatised-festivals-wireless-finsbury-park.    To get this overturned people need to respond to the consultation - can be done by email - and if possible attend the events. Also complain about Catherine Rose who is representing the interests of Gala festival over Southwark council tax payers and residents.

[KalamityKel]

For those that have no idea about the proposed plan... >> Application details <<

[Penguin68]

Remember too that they plan to destroy trees in the park so that contractors can put in more drainage, the trees don't have to be removed for the drainage scheme but it makes it easier (cheaper) for the contractors. The improved drainage is to make the site more sellable to events. Let's just stamp out ugly trees if there's a profit in it. Think on that next time the council pleads their actions are about 'saving the planet',or being eco friendly. 

[Spartacus]

[Clifton]

Note that in the letter to residents the Council attempts to minimise impact by saying that "12% of all available space (park and common)" will not be accessible for 21 days.  The headline on the website also sticks Park and Common together, although the application correctly refers to the Park.  Please point out in your objections that approx 25% of the Park will be rendered inaccessible by this proposal, and that the Common isn't of much value to many of those who live on the west side of the Park.

[first mate]

I have just read again the opening post and see that an FOI request was issued to determine what happens to funds generated by the Gala Festival in terms of what Southwark gets and what is put back into the Park.

"Note Limited funds from this event directly benefit the park. (A Freedom of Information request was made to the council to provide an actual breakdown of the total event fee they receive and what actually goes back into the park which they are unable to provide any details on  “due to commercial competition interests”

The Council are not a private business, can they legally hide from scrutiny using the commercial competition getout?

At any rate, I imagine FOPR might have a good idea how much money makes its way back to the park, perhaps someone can comment?

To summarise:

-They plan to wreck the Park by bulldozing trees to facilitate more events, this suggests they plan to mount even more, further extending use of park land for hire

-They will section off a quarter of prime parkland for most of the summer, closing it off with extremely high fencing and patrolled by security

-Most of the revenue raised will not go back to the Park. 

-The Council will collude with the events company to protect their commercial interests and will not reveal to residents what is earned by private events mounted in the Park

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 24, 2023 by first mate

[Spartacus]

I suspect that should they go out to tender in the uture for the event, knowing how much they got paid would be commercial interest to bidders. 

Maybe the FOI needs to focus on understanding the percentage terms, how are the fees received for the event divided out.

Thus will show where it all goes and what it is used for. 

[DuncanW]

'Most of the summer'....?

[tiddles]

For me the concern is any damage to or removal of trees....... 

[aggie]

Whatever our objections are (and there will be many different ones) we must complain to as many people as we can. Our councillors, MPs, leader of the council, events team, environment department, Cabinet member Councillor Rose, and anyone else we can think of. We have to make a big noise if we want to be heard. It can make a difference as in the recent CPZ climb down. If we do nothing I fear that our park will just become a commercial venue that we are allowed to use occasionally. 

[Clifton]

Please ensure that you register to attend the Stakeholder meeting on Nov 29th, as failure to do so will be taken to show lack of concern.  The key task here is to get the Council to minimise what's allowed under the licence.

I've read somewhere that the applicant company has changed this year.  Well, sort of, but that doesn't mean that the change is radical. 

Last year the company was called We Are The Fair Ltd.  This year it is Assembled Live Ltd.  A quick Google shows that while these are indeed different companies with different directors, they have worked together on events in the past.  In the case of one licence application by Assembled Live, the correspondence address was that of We Are The Fair.

 

[aggie]

Yes indeed, they use numbers/percentages to their advantage when they make decisions. Low responses are just what they hope for, maybe that’s why they plan the consultation meeting at such an inconvenient time for working people and those with young families. 6pm has to be the busiest time of day for parents. Even if you can’t attend I would suggest emailing  [email protected] to say that you want to attend but the meeting is at a bad time for you. It will all be on record. I love the way they will announce the venue on the morning of the meeting - like an illegal rave!

[PeckhamRose]

Hi folks.  In the leaflet put through our door, from the Council, it said, "..... we have received an application from Assembled Live Ltd...."   Southwark have made a mistake. There is no such company (in Companies House anyway) with this name, but there IS a company called Assembled Gala Ltd.  There was a meeting at Southwark a few years ago where a woman I think is called Lisa, from this company, told us she was a local herself.  Well Lisa Boden Shah was a director and left this position in Jan 2022, and the same date a company called Edition Capital Ltd joined the other two individual male directors as directors of Assembled Gala Ltd.  Edition Capital Ltd is a corporate director, and listed as having 20 directorships including Assembled Gala Ltd.

They can't be considered a local company anymore, they refuse to say how much they benefit the council (for commercial reasons), and they regularly ignore the serious and many concerns of the local people surrounding the park.  My own councillor is Renata Hamvas who is the head of licencing committee.

I look forward to seeing everyone on 29th November and see what they have to say.  Looks like it will be at the Tenants and Residents Hall of Rye Hill Estate and Rye Hill Park but not necessarily; we'll be told by email on the morning of 29th. It's also good it will be available to live stream so all digitally capable/connected people will be able to take part.

[jerryc]

Has anyone received their super-secret email with details of where and when to go later ? 

It's almost like they are making it difficult in order to minimise attendance.

Just have it in Clockhouse and bring a laptop you cowards 🙂

[EDIT]

HA. It IS in the Clockhouse pub tonight 6-8pm.

In my FACE, me.

Edited November 29, 2023 by jerryc

[satsuma]

Looks like fun, happy to have things going on locally.

[Mrs Y]

The festival disrupts the lives of local residents and limits access to and enjoyment of Peckham Rye Park.

Please sign the petition Thank you

 

 

ePetition - Oppose the expansion to the GALA festival 2024 - Southwark Council

 

[Sazzle30]

Am I being silly but isn’t this around the same amount of time as last year for the festival, it looks like the same numbers of days that area will be allocated to the festival. 

Personally I don’t mind having the festival, I live near the park and regularly attend, it’s a small amount of people (for a festival), really friendly atmosphere and Gala are mindful to minimise their impact on the environment and it doesn’t seem to do much damage to that area of the park. 

I have even bought my tickets for this year from Gala so they seem to be sure it’s going ahead. 

[first mate]

No, they are doubling the days. Also after one event is over they will disassemble and then rebuild for the new event, so overall it will be longer and more noise and upheaval. 

[Saranne]

For everyone who 'lives near the park and doesn't mind it' there are 10 who do and who are really concerned at the creeping privatisation of our public spaces, not to mention the environmental damage.  The public consultation last year revealed overwhelming lack of support but they went ahead anyway.  The majority of those who attend are youngsters down from Shoreditch and not locals - if you are anywhere near Peckham Rye station during the festival you will see hordes of people arriving by train and streaming up to the park.  This is about so much more than individual preferences and whether or not we like having 'jolly' events in the park.  There is a significant question of public accountability and transparency around use of our council tax and the willingness of the council to disregard the views of the majority of local people. Please do use the consultation to express your views