Protect Brockwell Park for everyone!
Protect Brockwell Park for everyone!
This case is raising funds for its stretch target. Your pledge will be collected within the next 24-48 hours (and it only takes two minutes to pledge!)
Latest: May 30, 2025
Our Next Chapter: Protect our Judgment, Protect our Park
We Won – But Now We Must Defend That Win
🙏🏽 Thank you to the 800+ people who supported our original CrowdJustice campaign. Together, we achieved something extraordinary:
📜 A landmark High Court j…
Read moreOur 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. We have repeatedly raised our concerns with Lambeth Council, but our voices have fallen on deaf ears. Lambeth has ignored petitions that have garnered thousands of signatures, local residents’ distress, and the adverse ecological impact on the park over the years. The Council has also failed to properly follow correct procedures and properly consult with local residents.
Our campaign
We need your help to build a fighting fund, to ensure that Brockwell Park is a thriving, green oasis that serves as a sanctuary for both people and wildlife, free from the interruption of protracted large-scale unsustainable events during the critical period of late spring and early summer.
Neighbours rallied when 44 trees were due to be felled or lopped to facilitate private events in the park. We are now challenging Lambeth Council over its licensing of this vital public space for multiple private events that are causing irreparable ecological harm to our park.
We want to:
Stop the commercialisation, destruction and fencing off of the Park without full public consultations, evidence-based impact assessments and proper evaluation of the long-term impact on the park. Let the land lie fallow for one or more years to restore soil health.
Force a full consultation on and support the development of the Council’s Events Strategy to ensure it respects their obligations to the Park, which it holds in trust.
Seek payment for remedial work to repair the significant damage done to the park in recent years from the private company that ran them.
PLEASE HELP US ACHIEVE THIS!
About our park
Brockwell Park is essential to the physical and mental good health of all Lambeth residents in an area where few have access to a garden.
As well as beautiful trees - including veteran/ancient oak, whitebeams and elms - the space is home to a variety of bats, woodpeckers, swans, newts and toads. The park’s many micro-ecosystems and biodiversity makes it incredibly important in our nature-depleted borough.
There are multiple playing areas, and sports and community spaces across the Park. Consequently, the space is used by a huge range of ages and groups across our diverse community.
The harm we’ve seen already
HGVs driving across the park, a heavy footfall of 180,000 festival goers in 6 days, events run in heavy rain, polluting generators running day and night, security lighting in its dark skies, waste and overflowing toilets.
Because of all this and more, parts of our grassland are permanently damaged. Still embedded with rubbish and suffering from flooding as water can’t drain freely through compacted ground. Trees are dying as heavy equipment has piled up in root protection zones.
Since 2021, 32 protected species have disappeared, with noise and light pollution disrupting key habitats and impacting protected bats.
The park is a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation. It should be respected; instead we are seeing works during nesting season and profit prioritised over the Park, people and nature that depend on it. When the costs to the local community are taken into account, there cannot possibly be a financial justification for the harm caused.
If we do not stop these events, the Park won’t recover, and nor will our community.
The Council has emphasised that it thinks that it does not need to consult with local park users and residents, and appears to be manipulating planning laws. We may therefore be forced to take legal action.
What your funds will support
Legal costs to enable potential challenges to the Events Permit, licensing and planning procedures, and accompanying experts' reports.
What we’ve achieved so far
✅ In July 2024, we submitted a deputation to the Council, requesting Lambeth Council puts forward a new vision for Brockwell Park, ceasing large commercial events and downsizing the Lambeth Country Show.
✅ Over 1,000 people signed our letter to the Mayor, urging his office to take action on the fencing off and damage to the Park.
✅ Nearly 3,000 people (and growing) have signed the petition: Stop Fencing Off and Damaging Brockwell Park.
✅ Over 800 people have signed our initial response letter opposing the grant of this year's Event Permit.
✅ We have commissioned experts’ reports, including a heritage and acoustic report.
- We successfully argued for an extended and more in- depth consultation in relation to the Events Permit.
Thank you 🙏
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Protect Brockwell Park
May 30, 2025
Our Next Chapter: Protect our Judgment, Protect our Park
We Won – But Now We Must Defend That Win
🙏🏽 Thank you to the 800+ people who supported our original CrowdJustice campaign. Together, we achieved something extraordinary:
📜 A landmark High Court judgment that sent a clear message – Lambeth Council’s use of permitted development rights to bypass scrutiny via a planning application for major commercial events in Brockwell Park was unlawful in this case.
🌳 This ruling set a vital precedent for the protection of public green spaces across the UK.
💪🏽 But our fight isn’t over.
Despite the High Court ruling, Lambeth Council has:
• Issued a second certificate to allow commercial events to continue – we think this is unlawful, brazenly repeating the same legal error and defying the court’s clear judgment;
• Launched an appeal against the High Court ruling on what we think are spurious and misleading grounds; and
• Acted as though the judgment never happened, letting Brockwell Live go ahead this summer without taking proper account of the court ruling.
⚠️ This is a blatant attempt to undermine the rule of law and dodge proper planning scrutiny.
If we don’t act, the hard-fought judgment you helped to secure could be rendered meaningless.
If we don’t challenge again, Lambeth – and councils across the country – could keep using the same approach year after year.
⚖️ What We Are Trying To Achieve
📣 This second judicial review (and resisting their appeal) is our opportunity to:
‼️ Block the loophole Lambeth is trying to create
‼️ Make the original judgment watertight
‼️ Protect Brockwell Park (and other UK parks) for the future
👩⚖️ We are advised that we have a strong case, and we are confident of success – if we can fund it.
💰 What We’ve Already Spent – and Why We’ve Started a New CrowdJustice Page
⚖️ We’re closing the original CrowdJustice page and starting a new one because we’ve spent those funds winning our case – and Lambeth Council is now trying to sidestep the judgment we all fought so hard to win.
The original £50,000 raised has been fully spent on:
• Covering the remaining legal costs from our first successful judicial review;
• Initial legal work resisting Lambeth’s appeal; and
• Submitting the second judicial review claim, challenging the new certificate.
💪🏽 How You Can Help
🙏 Please donate what you can and spread the word, to help cover the next crucial stage of this fight.
https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/protect-judgment-brockwell-park/
Our target is set low so we don’t risk not meeting it (in which case pledges are returned) but we need much more!
🌍 We’re now part of a national debate on how parks are used, as seen in the massive press coverage our case received.
We’ve come so far together.
Let’s finish what we started.
🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳
Protect Brockwell Park
May 23, 2025
Lambeth's new certificate and appeal
‼️Lambeth has issued a new certificate and is appealing our High Court decision of last week‼️
Protect Brockwell Park
May 16, 2025
WE WON!!!!!
High Court win for Protect Brockwell Park!
Protect Brockwell Park
May 16, 2025
Decision on hearing today
📣 Yesterday was a big day — thank you so much to everyone who made it possible with your generous donations! 🙏
This afternoon we return to the Royal Courts of Justice for the decision, which will be handed down at 2pm.
If you'd like to watch online, you can email your request to:
Quote the reference:
AC-2025-LON-001215
‼️ LASTLY AND IMPORTANTLY:
Join us tomorrow for a catch-up and group photo at 6pm on the tarmac exercise square above Brockwell Lido.
💪 Win or lose, the battle for Brockwell continues 🌳🌳🦆🦜🦢
Protect Brockwell Park
May 14, 2025
ONLINE COURT ATTENDANCE UPDATE
We've been informed by the court that we're not permitted to circulate the online hearing link (also referred to as the "CVP link").
Protect Brockwell Park
May 13, 2025
Plan for Court Hearing on Thursday and Decision on Friday
⭐ Thursday 15th May – Court Hearing
We’ll be gathering for group photos at 8.45am and (approx) 1.15pm outside the Royal Courts of Justice.
We don’t yet know how many people will be allowed into the courtroom, so we can’t guarantee entry - but your presence outside for a photo and to show support would mean a lot. Please dress and act respectfully in case you get into court.
You can also watch the hearing online from any device, starting from 10.30am - the link will be on our website when we receive it:
https://protectbrockwellpark.
⭐ Friday 16th May – Decision Day
The judgment will be handed down online on Friday 16th (time TBC).
Whatever the result, we’ll be meeting at 6pm on the hardstanding/tarmac area near the Lido in Brockwell Park to come together as a group. We would love to see lots of you then.
💚 Thank you all so much for your continued support 💚
Protect Brockwell Park
May 8, 2025
We've got a court date - come and support us!
Thanks to your generous donations and a huge amount of hard work, we’ve secured a judicial review hearing next Thursday 15th May at 10:30am.
COME AND SUPPORT US!
Be there, see it for yourself, and show your support.
📍 Meet us outside the Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, London
📅 Thursday 15th May
⏰ From 9:30am
Please note: numbers inside the court may be restricted, but we would love to see you outside beforehand to show your support!
We’re not done yet – we still need your help!
We’ve been told we have a strong case, but we urgently need to raise more funds to keep the legal action going.
Please give what you can – and spread the word.
Protect Brockwell Park
April 28, 2025
Protect Brockwell Park website and Instagram account
We’re doing really well with our campaign — but we still need more funds! Although the total raised looks encouraging, we have already had to spend over half of it on legal advice, case preparation, issuing proceedings, and other litigation costs. We continue to receive strong advice that our case remains robust — but we need your support to keep going. Please keep donating so we can continue the fight and challenge the ongoing mismanagement of our park!
You can stay up to date with our campaign developments by checking out:
our website, where you’ll find links to some of our fantastic recent press coverage — including articles in The Times, The Telegraph, The Independent, and features on BBC London radio and TV news, and
our new Protect Brockwell Park Instagram account!
Please take a look, follow us, and share with others!
Protect Brockwell Park
April 24, 2025
Latest steps in legal proceedings
Last week we issued legal proceedings against Lambeth Council. Lambeth and the promoters have now responded, and the court has given initial directions. Thanks so much for donations to date. We still urgently need additional funds for this and other challenges, including expert reports and related legal steps. Please continue to pledge and share widely!
Protect Brockwell Park
April 12, 2025
Letter before action sent to Lambeth Council
On 9 April, Lambeth Council received our pre-action letter challenging its decision to grant a certificate of lawful development. This certificate would permit commercial events to take place in Brockwell Park without planning permission.
Please continue to share and support us as we fund this vital first step in protecting the park.
Watch this space for further updates!
Protect Brockwell Park
March 31, 2025
Recent contributions