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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Dangerous noise levels (95 decibels) in kids playground Finsbury Park, Sunday afternoon - were you there? Please contact council.

My three year old, my husband and I visited Finsbury Park kids playground on Sunday afternoon and commented on the noise levels so decided to measure it.  We recorded 95 decibels average using an IOS app (these are actually surprisingly accurate).  These are levels which are dangerous to the hearing of adults let alone the developing ears of kids.  I've worked at festivals and at these noise levels all the workers on site will be handed ear plugs and warned of the potential dangers to their hearing.

I decided to call the Haringey council help line for the event which was supposed to me manned during festival hours: No answer.  So I called the event manager's helpline who did pick up at least.  The lady informed me that monitoring sound levels at the kids playground was not in the terms of their license!  

I understand that these events bring revenue for the council and the park but many of us parents rely on the playground for our sanity at the weekend.  Haringey council should make it within the terms of an events license to keep sound levels at the playground within non-dangerous levels during the hours when the playground is in use.  

If you were there or even if you were not I urge you to contact the council and complain and request that monitoring sound levels at the playground should be part of the terms of the license of events at the park.

What do you think?  Were you there?  Did you try and contact the council help line?

Tags for Forum Posts: finsbury park, finsbury park events

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I didn't - I'm inferring - The event organisers told me as much
As i understand it each contract is negotiated separately. Does anyone know if they're public domain?

I doubt it, particularly as there is commercially sensitive information there (e.g, the Council would not want Wireless to know what the rental cost, etc). This could be redacted of course. But would require a lawyer (at least the council would so think) to perform such a redaction.

Information on how much is charged is given in Haringey Council's Outdoor Events Policy Fees & Charges April 2017 - March 2018

http://www.haringey.gov.uk/sites/haringeygovuk/files/2017_fees_and_...

Page 4 deals with commercial events and a breakdown of the fees etc for a two day event with 50,000 people in Finsbury Park is provided.  With 7 days to set up and 5 days to take down, the fee charged is £416,826 plus a £15,000 refundable grounds damage deposit.

That is a boat load of money! 

Personally I've got no problem with the events generally. I just think putting the onus on the event organisers to check levels in the playground would be sensible. Especially when the music is all day and bass heavy.

Each night after Wireless finished the children's playground turned into a party area for the staff. This would not have been an issue but for them leaving their empties all over the place. Drinkers are like smokers in this country, weird.

I know pretty much everything about everything between experience guided by wisdom and, apropos to this discussion, decades of experience writing contracts.

I do expect that the council will do something in connection with boots on the ground at the event that is more than normal--helping to hook up electricity, water and such . But I am fairly confident that no one who runs a business would ever ask the council to do anything that relied on skills, like set up, tear down, sound, and security = the council does nothing by and large and earns big $$ for the location hire fee.

I didn't lament that the council earns money either. I was just pointing out a fact and, moreover, even if it's earned on our behalf, government has an endless, unquenchable thirst for money. The point is that the council will be reluctant to control the event organisers absent outrageous conduct as they count on these events for revenue--and that means dear Rachel has her work cut out for her.

Article in Standard about worse boroughs for noise complaints....Haringey in number 2.
Sorry.....Don't know how to pass it to this website!
I think that would be a step too far even for them but perhaps it would be better than knowingly damaging children's hearing?

They don't seem to give a crap about knowingly damaging their lungs (and neither do we). Oh silly me, we're bringing them up to stay inside and watch TV, they need good hearing for that.

I live half a mile away away from the events and find the noise levels objectionable, although obviously not damaging. I really don't appreciate that the council has to make money from events that pay no regards to the needs and desires of Harringey residents, but in fact just make even more money from people and business which do not reside in the area. As far as I know none of the organizations which put on concerts are actually based in Harringey (although I would be happy to be corrected on that, or indeed shown a breakdown of where these profits are actually going). Neither am I reassured that the Council will spend such money accrued on things which benefit residents, rather than roadworks, etc., which benefit people passing through. Yes, life sucks doesn't it.

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