fishboy

I'm fairly sure everyone engaged with this topic will have received this email yesterday, but just in case... "To whom it may concern, We are reaching out to invite you to our upcoming Residents & Stakeholder Drop In Sessions for Gala 2026. We are hosting two drop-in style sessions (one virtual, and one in person) to facilitate more in depth conversations, allowing us to run through our plans for 2026 and to discuss how we are going to address your feedback. We look forward to meeting you in person or online and discussing our event plans for both Gala and On The Rye Festival in more detail. Evening Session (IN PERSON): Time: 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM Date: Wednesday 11th February Location: Watson's General Telegraph Lunchtime Session (VIRTUAL MEETING): Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM Date: Friday 13th February We are offering 15 minute slots to speak directly with us in a virtual meeting. Please confirm your availability within this drop in period and we will confirm a time with you. You will then be sent a link directly to join the virtual session. If you would like to attend, please respond with: Your name: Your address: If you will be attending the virtual or in person meeting: Your availability for a meeting time online (if applicable): If you have any access needs so we can accommodate: We really appreciate your feedback and taking the time to attend our engagement meetings. Yours sincerely, Community Team | GALA Festival"

Granted Shoreditch is still London, but given that the council & organisers main argument for the festival is that it is a local event, for local people (to use your metaphor), there's surprisingly little to back this up. As Blah Blah informatively points out, this is now just a commercial venture with no local connection. Our park is regarded by them as an asset that they've paid to use & abuse. There's never been any details provided of where the attendees are from, but it's still trotted out as a benefit to the local community. There's never been any details provided of any increase in sales for local businesses, but it's still trotted out as a benefit to the local community. There's promises of "opportunities" for local people & traders to work at the festival, but, again, no figures to back this up. And lastly, the fee for the whole thing goes 100% to running the Events dept, and the dozens of free events that no-one seems able to identify, and, yes, you guessed it - no details provided for by the council. So again, no tangible benefit for the residents of the area.

Alive

Should've been back to Liase?

Family

I'm not sure the word "mysterious" actually means "completely impossible to identify". More that it's a mystery who they are. Anyone know anything about Jonathan Edwards or George Napier? The address given for them both is local - oh, actually, no, it's a flat above a coffee shop in Shoreditch. That's odd, you'd think they'd at least be South of the river. Never mind, who's the other Director - oh, "EDITION CAPITAL DIRECTORS LTD", who / which is also Director of 35 other companies, several of which are "In administration" or "Liquidated". No, that's not mysterious at all...

It's the "due to commercial reasons" line again that is vexing. Last year it seemed, although there was a similar level of objection, that the reasons were commercial - Gala didn't appear entirely prepared to run 3 more events, or more likely didn't have sufficient interest from other promoters / organisers who could 'sub-let' the site as with Brockwell Park (I believe?). This year they appeared more organised, had another year to plan & prepare, to the extent they actually had names for two of the three new events which indicated to me that they had third party promoters / organisers in place. So yes, it does make you wonder whether the repeated level of objection, combined with the impending elections, led to the council 'advising' that maybe they shelve it again? I'm afraid I can't see the whole extension application just being a ruse to guarantee permission for the 'regular' event. Gala are a commercial venture with ambition - every festival's business plan is to expand, expand, expand, year on year on year. Gala won't give up until they have taken over the whole park for a Summer of Raves, and the mysterious owners are on their yachts counting their ££££

Liase

Strife

Better late than never, same obscure reason as previously for not going ahead with the extended plan... "Due to commercial reasons, the event organisers have withdrawn their application to hold a 7- day event over two weekends. The application has been revised to request the use of Peckham Rye Park to hold a 4-day event over one bank holiday weekend with the following schedule: • Onsite: Monday 11 May 2026 • GALA: Friday 22 – Sunday 24 May • On the Rye Festival: BH Monday 25 May • Off-site Sunday 31 May 2026 This is the same event programme that was delivered in 2025." GALA 2026 consultation findings report 1519.pdf

Radio

Fish

Grind

Rifles

Try posting on the Free Traffic Legal Advice forum, I can highly recommend it from personal experience -https://www.ftla.uk/index.php Councils always reject initial appeals / representations as they just want people to pay, but often after that stage they fail to adhere to the correct procedures which can lead to tribunal losses. They seem to know this, so end up cancelling prior to hearings. Have a look at posts on the FTLA forum, do a search for the PCN code to find similar cases, and see how they've panned out, it's very interesting!

It's always worth challenging these PCNs as often the councils fail to adhere to legal requirements. They always reject the initial appeal / representation, it's only after that point that things get interesting! Have a look at the many cases on the Free Traffic Legal Advice forum - https://www.ftla.uk/index.php You'll see that most that go further, the councils end up cancelling rather than go to tribunal, mainly because they haven't followed correct procedure. I had one with Lewisham which I felt was unfair (unfamiliar area, signs were literally 15 feet in the air & hence not visible from a car seat!). Raised a thread, got lots of advice, one member actively helped with my appeal, Lewisham cancelled two weeks before the hearing. They had repeatedly got deadline dates & fine amounts wrong, and were using 'threatening' language to demand payments, all of which were in breach of regulations and would have led to them losing. They rely on people just paying up the reduced amount straight away. Check out the forum - very interesting & enlightening!

Trick

Clippers

Brace

Sombrero

Caper

Gratuity

Stern

Dance

Fossil