Meg's Hackney Gazette Column: Protect Victoria Park from excessive event closures

The arrival of summer is a reminder of why we love our parks in Hackney. Long sunny evenings and weekends spent in one of our many green spots are part of the privilege of living in Hackney.

Our green lungs are award-winning. These open spaces provide respite from hot streets. And for most residents, are our garden. Places to take children in school holidays, celebrate birthdays after work, and get some exercise.

London Fields, Haggerston Park and Shoreditch Park as well as Victoria Park – which is run by Tower Hamlets council.

Well-managed events can open up opportunities to enjoy these green spaces as well as providing some much-needed funding (particularly during the years of austerity when the Conservative Government cut council funding to the bone). Hackney Council has managed its parks well and avoided changing the nature of these valued spaces.

I fondly remember when Haggerston Park was the venue for a public viewing party for the 2012 London Olympics’ Opening Ceremony. The shared awe and wonder when the Red Arrows flew over us moments after we saw them fly over the Olympic Stadium live on the big screen. When well-managed, these community gatherings are special and important. 

Victoria Park has hosted events for as long as I can remember. 

Now we see an application from AEG, the company behind All Points East and LIDO festivals, to use Victoria Park for more than ten weeks a year – during peak season.

Festivals are great for bringing new people to Hackney, celebrating culture and for our local economy. But the long-term impact on the grass, noise pollution, and cumulative strain on our park’s infrastructure is too great.

We need to be clear that parks are not just outdoor venues for paid-for events. They are vital, free-to-access spaces. Overuse will be detrimental to biodiversity and wildlife. 

To have 75 days of commercial events – more than double the current 28-day permission - is too many. 

Our parks, our streets, and our wildlife will not be able to cope. I’ve raised concerns with the Mayor of Tower Hamlets. Because of the park’s location a lot of the worst impact will fall on Hackney residents.

If we want to keep our parks as safe, vibrant spaces for residents and visitors to enjoy, then we cannot let large parts of Victoria Park be blocked off for this long.

Let’s keep our parks open, free, and green.