Issue - meetings

a.         Deputation by the Friends of Finsbury Park on the Finsbury Park Events Scrutiny Review (Agenda Item 14)

RECEIVED a deputation from members of the Friends of Finsbury Park in relation to the Finsbury Park Scrutiny Review. The following points were noted:

·         that a letter had been sent to the Leader of the Council and local Member of Parliament from Sarah Caton, a governor at Stroud Green Primary School, concerning the effects of the Wireless event at Finsbury Park on children at the school.

·         various schools in Islington had their sports day on the same day as Wireless and the festival had disturbed this;

·         the Friends of Finsbury Park were disappointed and disagreed with some of the conclusions of the scrutiny report;

·         acknowledgment of the need to raise income for the park and recognition that the report touched on how such income should be spent;

·         concern of the impact of such events at the park including the social costs to people’s lives and the enjoyment of their homes and the ability to get to school;

·         the impact of 50,000 people on local people, whose gardens had been used as litter bins and toilets;

·         such events excluded local people from the park and also resulted in damage to the park.

b.          NOTED in response to questions from the Committee:

·      the Friends of Finsbury Park made a number of suggestions. For example, the deputation explained the Friends’ had consistently welcomed dialogue with the council about other revenue schemes, tri-borough control of the park and the nature of the Wireless event.  The deputation emphasised that the Friends welcomed alternative events;

·      during the Wireless event much of the park had been unavailable for exercise/.sport at the same time as the Wimbledon tennis tournament and a local obesity conference;

·      further consideration should be given to mitigate the effect such large events had on children during school hours.

b.         Public questions on the Finsbury Park Scrutiny Review (Agenda Item 14)

RECIEVED the following questions in relation to the Finsbury Park Scrutiny Review, which the Chair responded to:

1.         Given anti-social, dangerous, and illegal activities which took place in Finsbury Park as a direct result of the Council hosting Wireless Festival and other events, I would like to ask what sort of image the Council wishes to project of Finsbury Park as both a recreational space and residential area (Hackney resident)

Response: the scrutiny review panel believed it to be possible to mitigate the impact of such events on the local community and that a balance needed to be struck between the disruption to the area and the income generated.

2.         I live in Hackney and so have no political representation in Haringey and no choice regarding the event policy you have put in place for Finsbury Park. Why then do I have to suffer from excessive noise pollution/disturbance during inappropriate events, from the prolonged loss of amenity with a park encircled by intimidating security fencing and watchtowers and the use of my front  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38