fishboy

1 hour ago, HeadNun said:

I've been in two minds about Gala. While I don't like it much, the noise didn't reach me this year. I'm all for the council generating revenue through events. Or at least I was... I took a look at the field yesterday (I'm in the park three times per day but have been avoiding that area) and the damage is terrible. I'm really not sure that it will recover this year. Destroying `parks for this aim is wrong. 

Gala was better at lessening the noise this year and moving the entry point. It's a peaceful festival, with what appear to be peaceful people, but Southwark should not have the right to permanently destroy swathes of the park for money.

As Angelina said, that particular park - the layout and geography of it - just isn't suited to this type of annual event. 

I've just gone over for the first time, and oh my - got to be the worst one yet. 

My issue has never been with the noise - although it is intolerable, it is only for three days. My issue is the environmental damage to our lovely park, which lasts a lot, lot longer.

The obvious damage to the landscape is shocking - so widespread, so deep - but perhaps even worse is the litter. Without even looking too hard, within a few minutes I'd found dozens of bottle tops, can ring pulls, tubes of filter tips, fag butts, cut off cable ties, disposable vapes, even a tampon applicator, all either hiding in the longer grass where the entrance was, or embedded in the dried mud. This is apparently after there have been several 'teams' of litter pickers over the whole area, and representatives of the council have walked the area and given it the thumbs up.

These are all things that aren't going to decompose, so will be embedded in the ground forever, literally turning the park into a rubbish tip. I just don't know how this can be allowed to happen, again and again and again?

May I suggest that before anyone comments on this post, or on the state of the park, they go and have a good, slow, careful, hard look first, over the whole site. Try and find some litter, I guarantee it will be a matter of minutes before you do, then you'll find some more, and some more, and some more...

18 minutes ago, Dogkennelhillbilly said:

Because some of what's in the photos looks pretty trifling - like what always happens when you put a tent or object on grass in summer, the grass goes yellow and droopy. And then the rain and sun do their work and it's back to where it was quite quickly.

But if the damage is still there in a month, then it needs remediation.

Brockwell put up fences and security gates because the open events became unmanageable. Now it has fenced off events - same as Peckham Rye.

I think you're missing the point; this is one of the most popular parts of the park, and after a month of being inaccessible it is now effectively unusable - who would want to sit in the middle of that mess? And yes, they could do 'remedial' works, but it will take months to get back to some kind of acceptable condition, and then the summer has gone.

You say "some" of it looks trifling, which means a lot of it isn't - deep corrugations from the trackway etc. The fact is that GALA are unable to return the site to us in the same condition, or better, than it was before - another lie that they spouted just to secure a licence and placate those tiresome 'locals'.

So, again, why should we have to put up with this, every year?

PS they also haven't cleared away the yellow event road signs yet either - another thing they promised they would do better / quicker this year...

9 hours ago, Dogkennelhillbilly said:

Let's see what it looks like in a month.

Why should we have to?!?

It's our park, it's the summer - why should we have to put up with it looking like a wasteland for even a day after GALA have p***ed off to count their money?!?

Not looking quite how it did before GALA turned up, I'll be very interested to know what they can do to "reinstate" it & how long it will take to recover. And how they're going to remove all the litter - there'll be plenty of fag butts, filter tips, cable ties, bottle tops, ring pulls and god knows what else firmly stuck in that mud...

The noise level monitoring is one of the only parts of GALA that is performed satisfactorily - no surprise that it is done by an independent company! 

I've had lots of conversations with the genuinely knowledgeable and empathetic sound engineer carrying out the checks, and he regularly contacts the sound desk to get levels reduced. The thresholds are quite technical, and vary depending on which acts are on - headliners are allowed to be slightly louder than the rest.

Wind direction is a major factor with the levels, this year it was coming from the South West (Dawson's Hill direction) so the noise was driven more to the East of the park (Rye Hill area).

I made a point of complaining about the noise every day even if I knew it was within the permitted levels, on the basis that it was too loud for a residential area on a Friday / Saturday / Sunday evening...

22 hours ago, alice said:

And if it was another demographic you would still be moaning

Has anyone actually seen the so-called damage to that tree? You’re absolutely ridiculous

Yes, I did, as the workmen were putting the branches through a mulching machine hooked up to the back of their van. The branches removed were more in the vicinity of 12cm / 5", but it's their length that is more important, and the effect to the overall natural shape of the tree - it has NEVER been trimmed, pruned, pollarded or touched in any way previously.

I've attached two photos which hopefully give an indication of the volume of foliage removed. The first is the wall last year - note that it is about a third lower and allows the branches to freely pass over the top. Also note that it looks low enough for people to possibly climb over. The second is the same view this year - higher wall, lower branches removed - note the difference between how far out the branches extend over the path.

I've also attached an image of some of the cut off branches, not sure how much it's possible to zoom in on this forum but hopefully gives a better idea of the mutilation. Please don't argue the toss over the level of damage - the point is that a private corporation has requested for it to happen, despite making statements about caring for the park.

2 hours ago, Sally Eva said:

I think that would be a sensible question to ask councillors

They have been asked many times, and the response is always that it is "commercially sensitive" so they can't publish it.

AFAIK they also don't seem to want to publish exact figures for how much of it goes towards good things for the people of Southwark, just vague assurances that it pays for the running of the Events Team and numerous free events throughout the year...

A list of things I have seen / experienced in the last 24 hours within 100m of my home which are directly due to GALA i.e. which wouldn't have happened if it wasn't here -

Dozens of people p***ing in the bushes along the path between the park entrance opposite Parkside cafe and the festival entrance.

Being verbally abused by the people above after politely requesting they maybe reconsider p***ing in the bushes because it's a public park and there are school children around.

Dozens of people dumping empty cans & bottles in the park because the bins are overflowing, lots of broken glass strewn around.

Dozens of minicabs delivering noisy people outside our home (they're supposed to use the designated drop off area on Strakers Rd)

Same noisy people dumping cans & bottles on the pavement outside our home having exited minicabs.

Three girls p***ing behind wheelie bins on a residential street in broad daylight

Five guys having a noisy / shouty balloon inhaling party in the street until 1am

Oh, and our windows rattling / buzzing in their frames from the bass. For 8 hours solid.

Hopefully this goes some way to explaining my frustration & anger with this festival, please don't anyone try to justify it or extol it's supposed benefits unless you've lived through the same experience.

It's simply the wrong event in the wrong location, run by the wrong people.

Sat & Sun sound checks are 11-11.30am, event runs 11.30am-10.30pm...

I can only hope that the bins were eventually emptied, the hotline said they hadn't got the keys for the bins from the council, which is a pathetic oversight for an organiser of an event like this. To be honest, I just got massively dispirited after two hours of seeing people with zero consideration or respect of the lovely park they were visiting, and the constant reporting of issues with very little resolution, so had to go home - where the windows vibrated until 10.30pm. And then had to put up with five guys having a laughing gas balloon party in the road, chucking the canisters in the park - obviously another side effect of the festival. 

For all those that say it's just people having fun, it's only three days a year, it's a lovely event - please understand that it negatively affects many people who live very close in a lot of different ways which aren't immediately obvious. Walk a mile in my shoes...

Please, please, please call the hotline - 02071129277 - with all your complaints, no matter how small you think they are. If these things aren't reported, they won't know they need fixing, and they'll be granted a licence again next year because there weren't any complaints this year! 

For noise, they have an independent nose monitoring guy who goes around the area where complaints are made, and if he finds it is too loud he is in contact with the sound desk and has the power to get them to turn it down! 

I'm more bothered by the environmental issues - yet again bins are piling up with bottles & cans despite promises from GALA that they had a new, better team who would be on top of it. I've called them three times over an hour and a half about a single bin, but no action. 

People urinating in the bushes - again there were promises of more portaloos and more security to stop it - nothing. There's some poorly signposted ones up by the rugby posts, but that's it. 

It seems that they'll say anything to secure a licence, then just forget about it once the event is on. 

This isn't the first year, they're not amateurs making beginner's mistakes. 

First pic when reported at 4pm, second pic at 5.20pm after two further calls. If I didn't know better I'd think they just didn't care. It's a good job no one will be using the park tomorrow, or the broken glass could cause an injury....

On 20/05/2024 at 17:14, Kesc said:

This is the response I have had:

To address your concerns around the trees, we want to assure you that GALA Festival will not and does not independently cut or prune any trees in the park. Any necessary work is carried out by the council and the Park's arborist and tree protection teams.

Regarding your comments around nesting birds, please find attached the 2024 pre-event Bird Nesting Survey (conducted on 7th May), which finds there are no nesting birds within the GALA event site. 

However, the survey does outline areas around the site which have the potential for nesting birds. Please see below a few of the ways in which we aim to limit disturbance to these surrounding areas:

• Production Routes: Our routes avoid high potential areas. These routes strictly adhere to hardstanding pathways, with vehicle paths clearly defined and enforced by both traffic management and security personnel.
• Steel Shield Perimeter: Before any major works commence, a 3.5m steel shield perimeter is erected around the event site. This perimeter containment ensures that activities remain confined within the event site, protecting areas outside of the perimeter from undue disruption.
• Egress Route Management: During the event egress period, which lasts a maximum of half an hour, we will have some fencing and barriers to guide attendees safely out of the event area. This prevents access to the wider park, mitigating potential disturbances.
• Visual Messaging: Variable Message Signage (VMS) will be strategically placed, reminding guests to "leave quietly and respect our neighbours," encouraging respectful departure at the event's conclusion.
• Litter Prevention: To prevent littering we have increased the number of bins along the egress routes and made improvements to our litter collection.
• Enhanced Security Presence: Throughout the egress process, there will be enhanced security and steward presence to deter any antisocial behaviour.

A secondary survey is scheduled to take place post-show so that we can assess and report on any impact we might have had during our tenancy in the park.

 

They also said explicitly: The council approved arborist undertook the work 

This is the exact same response I got from the guy in charge on the ground at the time, and from the hotline "It was the Parks people who cut the branches off, not us". What they had to have pointed out to them is that bearing in mind that tree has never needed, or had, any work carried out on it, that the sole reason it was being done is because they requested it! If it wasn't for their need for a higher wall, it wouldn't have happened! It is 100% their responsibility.

I have written an email to an Anne Whyte who has been sending out info from the Events Dept to ask who authorised this mutilation, but unsurprisingly have had zero response. 

The nesting survey is, as always, a box ticking exercise, as it is limited to "within the GALA event site" where there are very few trees. It does note however that there is a large area immediately to the East of the site where there is a "High potential for bird nesting - limit disturbance" The bullet points above are supposedly steps they are taking to limit disturbance in this area, but they seem to have overlooked 8-9 hours of 85db+ noise aimed directly at it. The main stage is roughly where the red circle is on the pic below, and facing that way. Again the hotline parrotted (excuse the pun) that the birds had plenty of other areas they could nest, ignoring the fact that they may already have nests full of eggs / chicks in that area already. 

As for the hardcore filling of the boggy area, the hotline rep confirmed that this is a temporary fix to enable them to install & use the trackway, and that it would be reinstated post-event. Quite how you remove several tons of rubble after it's been driven over by heavy plant during several days of rain remains too be seen...

PS the second survey mentioned is apparently designed to see if the event has had any effect on the wildlife. Bearing in mind it will only cover the area within the site boundary, and that there were no nests initially, it's obviously going to come out with the conclusion that there is no negative impact on the wildlife, which will then be used as an argument for a longer event next year...

On 20/05/2024 at 23:16, joseph holly said:

Can't believe this stunning tree, which looks beautiful whatever the season, has been lopped to make way for a metal monstrosity. Vandalism!

Yes, this beautiful, naturally shaped tree, possibly the most known & loved tree in the park. The pic below shows how it looks now, so you can imagine which branches were removed. Last year the wall was about a third lower, so the branches could pass over the top, but presumably this was an issue as people could climb over without paying?

Yes, this was going to be my second point. Is this a permanent fix i.e. for the good of the park, or is it a temporary fix i.e. for the good of the festival? I suspect the latter, as I'm not sure how well grass will grow over hardcore, and it's coincidentally right in the path of where they want to lay the trackway to give their heavy plant access to the south of the site. I'll be asking them these questions when i call their "Community Hotline" - 0207 112 9277 - tomorrow...

So it's that time of the year when the industrial plant arrives in Peckham Rye Park to essentially annexe & trash one of the best areas. Again.

So to start - the sound of chainsaws this morning triggered a visit for me, to find several large branches being lopped off the beautiful blossom tree near where the Park Run starts - I'm sure you all know & love it. This was blatantly to accommodate the metal perimeter wall, but I don't recall this sort of vandalism being mentioned in any of the meetings, documentation or promises?

Previously, this section of the wall had lower panels, to fit under these branches, but I guess this would have been an issue for the organisers - easy to climb over - so they would've had to spend money on extra security? So this year they've arranged to have those pesky, profit negative branches removed, so they can install a higher wall - sorted!

For context, I've lived here just under 20 years, and looked across to that tree from our front window every day. It has never been pruned, trimmed, pollarded or touched in any way by the park staff, hence its beautiful, natural shape.

This act of vandalism was done 100% to benefit GALA, not the tree. Sickening.

Bride

Lush

Stork

Chain

Scoop

Some factual info which may help with clarifying the current situation with the festival. 

GALA applied for an events licence to extend the festival from 3 days to 6 days. The council opened a consultation, the results of which are attached. It's a really boring read, but an essential one for anyone commenting on this thread. The highlights which justify the argument that it shouldn't be held in this small park are: 

"The GALA team and the council fully acknowledge that ground reinstatement 
efforts have been sub-standard in the past."
"The GALA team accept that the waste management operation and post-event
clean up has not been to a satisfactory standard in the past."
"It is acknowledged that the GALA event has a bigger environmental impact..."
"It is acknowledged that during the build and break periods, the potential for air
pollution caused by idling lorries in the area next to the café and children's play area is increased."
"The steel shield perimeter fencing...is
acknowledged by all that it’s not aesthetically pleasing"
"...acknowledging concerns about unsatisfactory toilet provision... public urination in the park..."
"it is acknowledged that hire bikes (Lime bikes in particular) caused obstruction around the park, impacting pavements, pedestrian walkways, cycle routes, and traffic"

Remember these aren't teething problems from the first couple of events, they've been doing this now for many years, so they're not getting any better, but the council seem to turn a blind eye presumably because they need the funds...

Also attached is an appendix containing all 111 comments submitted to the consultation, by my count only 3 are in support (two of which appear to be from the same person). I think that level of objection can be considered 'overwhelming'? Again, I think comments on this thread should only be made having at least browsed through this.

GALA 2024 and one stage shows – stakeholder consultation findings report.pdf Appendix 1.pdf

14 hours ago, RachelB0403 said:

This is the grumpiest, most depressing thread. 
 

- It’s 3 days! 
- The MAJORITY of the Rye remains available to the public, green space remains for all

- The event attracts people from Peckham as-well as surrounding areas - don’t we want to bring people to Peckham and celebrate it as a great place to visit/live?

 

I live steps away from the event, yes it’s a bit loud but isn’t it great to hear people enjoying themselves and if needed there’s some decent ear plugs available these days.

 

 

Its because it's the most depressing situation - wannabe festival organisers using our park as a resource to make a profit, with zero consideration for the welfare of the park or anything / anyone around it. And a council having to let them do it because they can't afford not to. 

Its not 3 days, it's nearly a month that the best part of our park is taken away during the best part of the year. The other areas are often being used for cricket, football, hurling, Australian Rules etc so not really available to just sit and relax in the sun. And The Rye isn't The Park...

The people it attracts have zero interest in the area, they're purely coming to try to have a good time, and also have zero consideration for the welfare of the park & environs. I've witnessed them dropping cans & bottles en route to the site (partly because the organisers have failed to provide external bins AGAIN) and also many nipping into the bushes to urinate (partly because the organisers failed to provide the promised external portaloos) while young children were playing around them. And the litter that is ground into the earth all over the site (ring pulls, bottle tops, filter tips, cut off cable ties) remains forever - the cleaning teams only appear to remove the obvious, big items, so the park is gradually degrading year after year. 

I also live on the doorstep, and personally the noise levels are the least of my concerns. I do know they heavily affect the wildlife in the park though, as does the 24/7 lighting. We had a woodpecker visit our feeders every day of the live days last year, never seen it before or since. And bearing in mind it is nesting season, I dread to think of how many nests are abandoned due to the disturbance. 

So yes, I'm a bit depressed and grumpy about the whole thing. I'm all for people enjoying themselves, but on a suitable site which doesn't massively disrupt and inconvenience so many others. There's a reason festivals are traditionally held in the countryside...

I'm fairly sure the same (or very similar) conditions were in place for all the previous events, and haven't been met every time. With zero checks during, or consequences after, the event. 

If Southwark council were to actually take these repeated breaches into account (together with the overwhelming objections from the local community) when considering each years licence, there's no way they should grant them.

But then they wouldn't be able to fund all these wonderful free events that no one is aware of...

So Gala has got an events licence for the three days, despite overwhelming objections. It is subject to them complying with the conditions below, so I would urge anyone who has evidence that they are breaching any of these conditions report it to Southwark.

And also please report anything that is even vaguely unacceptable throughout the whole process - don't let them get away with doing whatever they want in our park for the sake of a phone call!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Peckham Rye Park Stakeholder

Re: GALA Music Festival – event application ref: SWKEVE000694 - NOTICE OF DECISION regarding event consultation

We write to inform you that the event application submitted by Assembled GALA Ltd to hold the GALA Music Festival in Peckham Rye Park on the 24, 25 and 26 May 2024 has been approved.

The decision to approve this application is based upon the findings of the event consultation, as recorded in the consultation findings report (circulated on the 28 February). No new information or grounds for objection were raised by stakeholders in the two week period following publication of the report. The report is attached for reference.

The issuing of the events licence is subject to the following: 

· That the event operator delivers the event in line with Southwark’s Outdoor Events Policy

· That the event operator delivers the event in line with the conditions listed in the event Licence Agreement

· That the event operator delivers the event in line with the conditions attached to premises licence: 879391

· That the event operator delivers the event in line with the Event Safety Management Plan, of which all elements must be approved by Southwark’s Safety Advisory Group

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Best wishes,

Charlie Simm

Senior Events Officer

London Borough of Southwark

Email direct: [email protected] 

Email general: [email protected] 

Tel: 020 7525 2739

Office address: Culture & Events, 3rd Floor, 160 Tooley Street, SE1 2QH

There's a surprisingly large group (20-30?) that run past ours (Colyton Rd) several times on a Weds evening around 7-8pm. They seem like nice people, although they do seem a bit oblivious to other footpath users - one lone runner heading in the opposite direction had no choice other than to stop & stand aside for the train!

I don't think it's a huge issue though, certainly not worth getting upset about. Maybe try to have a chat with whoever appears to be the lead runner, ask if they could be a bit more considerate to other path users?

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