FoFP: ‘… an iron curtain has descended across the park’

Regular users of Finsbury Park will have observed that the Wireless Festival (Live Nation) has arrived. Their occupation commenced on 19th June and is scheduled to conclude on the 10th July.

From Manor House Gate in the east to Finsbury Park Gate in the west and the Oxford Road Gate in the North, an iron curtain has descended across the park. Behind that line, lie the best amenity lands of our park, including the most popular flat areas for team sports and the south- facing slopes​. For the next three weeks the area enclosed behind this iron curtain will be under the control of Live Nation. The peace of our park will be shattered for the duration of their occupation. Our homes will be bombarded with loud noise. Our streets will be pounded by heavy contractor vehicles and, on event days, there will be major road closures, crowds of 50,000,  wide-spread diversion of local traffic and severe congestion on buses and tubes.

I am attaching an update on our meetings with Haringey to discuss these major events. You will see from the photographs included that serious damage was caused to the fabric of the park during events in 2014.

THIS YEAR WE NEED YOUR HELP IN MONITORING THESE EVENTS. In arguing our case against the appropriateness of using Finsbury Park as a venue for these large-scale commercial concerts, we have to be forensic in our evidence gathering if we are to successfully challenge the indefinite licences granted to the promoters. We will be taking photographs and videos throughout the three weeks of Wireless' occupation. Please take as many of your own photographs and videos as you can and send them to us. We also want you to observe and report to us any instances of speeding contractors vehicles, over-dutiful stewarding, associated anti-social behaviour, damage to the fabric of the park,  etc. We have negotiated with Haringey and Live Nation to secure six passes which will allow us access to monitor the site throughout the three weeks of Wireless' occupation. Four of these passes have been allocated but two remain available for any member who can undertake to make reasonably regular monitoring visits to the park over the coming three weeks. Please let me know if you are able to help.

Those living within the most impacted areas should have received a leaflet from Live Nation, the promoters of the Wireless Festival, outlining the arrangements for the events which they have scheduled for 28th June and the 3rd, 4th and 5th July.

If you consider the noise during concert days and sound checks to be excessive ( and many reported that the noise from the 2014 Wireless was the worst yet), please do phone one of the complaint lines ( Haringey Council : 020 8489 8232 or their out of hours complaint line on 020 8489 0000. Islington Council on 020 75277272 to report any issues). On show days you can additionally register concerns and questions to the Live Nation line on 020 7009 3250. The number of complaints registered really does count and those who are disturbed by the noise and inconvenience of these events must register a complaint if they want their concerns to be addressed. If complaint/noise lines are busy or there is a failure to follow up on your complaint, please note this and let us know. Instances of anti-social behaviour associated with the concerts should be scrupulously recorded and reported to the complaint lines, to us, and to your local authority and police where appropriate. Please ensure that your local Councillors and MP's are kept aware of your concerns about the noise and disruption caused by these events, particularly the serious damage caused to the fabric of the park and the loss of amenity for lengthy periods at the height of summer.

Please contact us if you have any questions. You can either write to this e-mail address or contact me on my home e-mail: ( garvagh@hotmail.com)  or mobile (07870435596).

All the best,

Kevin Duffy

Chair