Agenda and minutes

Contact: Fiona Rae, Acting Committees Manager  3541, Email: fiona.rae@haringey.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

94.

Apologies for absence

To receive any apologies for absence.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no apologies for absence.

95.

Declarations of interest

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

 

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

 

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

 

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

96.

Applications by Festival Republic Ltd to hire Finsbury Park for multi-event weekends pdf icon PDF 460 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and the Climate Emergency considered the report which sought a determination of an application made by Festival Republic Ltd (the Applicant) to hire Finsbury Park in July 2022 – or later in the year as any then prevailing pandemic restrictions allow, should the Applicant choose to vary its application in order to stage (1) the Wireless Festival over 3 days and (2) a multi-event weekend over 3 days including Lovebox, George Ezra and one other to be determined.

 

It was noted that the application was required to be determined pursuant to the Council’s Outdoor Events Policy (the Policy), which was approved by Cabinet on 17 December 2013, and implemented on 7 January 2014.

 

The Cabinet Member noted the concerns expressed by stakeholders. He commented that, as Lead Member, he would be engaging with Finsbury Park stakeholders, including at a stakeholder meeting on 25 January 2022 and in writing, to address the issues raised.

 

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

 

1.    To consider, and take account of, the comments received from recognised stakeholders of Finsbury Park in response to the event notification being sent as part of the decision-making process (attached as Appendix 2 to the report).

 

2.    To authorise the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods to approve conditional in-principle agreement to hire Finsbury Park to the Applicant for the events and dates detailed in this report as set out in paragraph 6.4 in the report, subject to:

 

(i)            the events being permissible under any then prevailing government legislation and guidance in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic, and

(ii)          with the agreement of the Council’s (interim) Director of Public Health.

 

Reasons for decision

 

Under the terms of the Policy, applications of the type detailed in this report are required to be determined with the prior agreement of the Cabinet Member.

 

If authority is given, then officers will give in-principle agreement to the Applicant for the event application to progress. The events will then be subject to lengthy discussions with relevant authorities - including Licensing and Public Health – before final approval is given.

 

The rejection of the application would have implications for the Parks & Leisure Service budget and reduce the opportunity for reinvestment into Finsbury Park (the Park). It would also mean that the wider cultural and economic benefits to the borough were lost.

 

Alternative options considered

 

In adopting the Policy, the Council established its commitment to using the Park for a limited number of major events each year. Accordingly, the only other alternative option which could be considered would be to reject the application. That option was rejected, on the grounds that the events did not fall within any of the grounds set out in paragraph 5.3 of the Policy for automatic refusal.

97.

Exclusion of the Press and Public

Item 5 is likely to be subject to a motion to exclude the press and public be from the meeting as it contains exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1985); paras 3 and 5, namely information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

RESOLVED

 

That the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting as item 5 contained exempt information, as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1985); paras 3 and 5, namely information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

98.

EXEMPT - Applications by Festival Republic Ltd to hire Finsbury Park for multi-event weekends

Minutes:

The Cabinet Member considered the exempt information.