Premises Licence Application for Events in Alexandra Park -May

Haringey Council Licensing has now made its decision on Alexandra Palace management’s application for a premises licence to permit a range of music, theatre, dance, and film and other commercial events in Alexandra Park. This followed a hearing on the application on April 20th.

The application was granted though the number of days of events was reduced from the requested 42 days per year to 30. This was the major change sought by the Friends of Alexandra Park, to reduce the cumulative impact on the park and park users of the events and their associated setting up and breaking down.

The maximum permitted levels of noise will be as per the application, despite representations by local residents for much lower levels. The text of the decision, including the conditions attached to it, can be found here.

The Trust management is preparing management and monitoring plans to ensure that adverse impacts of events in the park are minimised. The Friends will be examining and commenting on these plans when they are published.

Premises Licence Application for Events in Alexandra Park -April

Alexandra Palace management has now submitted their application to Haringey Council for a premises licence to permit a range of music, theatre, dance, and film and other commercial events in Alexandra Park. The application lists the maximum number of days of events for different audience capacities. In total this would mean 42 days per year of events in the park, plus the days required to set up and break down the event facilities.

We have accepted that some increase in events in the park is desirable, both to raise income for the Trust and to offer a variety of entertainment suited to the setting. However many members have objected to the maximum number and scale of events which would be allowed if the application is accepted as is.

We have therefore registered a ‘representation’ with the licensing authority, seeking a reduction to 30 for the maximum number of days on which events in the park would be allowed. (30 is the limit the Trustees have set as a temporary measure). Unfortunately the Licensing Act restricts the grounds for objection to premises licences, and so the environmental impact of events in the park are not considered. We have had to focus our case on issues of public nuisance and safety.

We believe the Trust management has been making considerable efforts to manage events in the park so that adverse impacts are minimised, and there are plans for management procedures and monitoring to ensure this remains the case with more events. Our concern is that certain impacts on the park and surrounding residential areas could not be avoided at the maximum levels of event activity contained in the application.

Our submission to the licensing authority can be seen here. The period for commenting on the Palace’s licence application has closed, but there will be a hearing before the licensing sub-committee and expressions of support for our position would be very helpful.

Proposal to increase the number of commercial events in Alexandra Park.

Premises Licence Application for Events in Alexandra Park

Public Information Meeting

Tuesday January 31 6.30pm

Londesborough Room Alexandra Palace

As you may recall, last autumn the Alexandra Park and Palace Trust management put forward a proposal to make an application to Haringey Council Planning for a premises licence for Alexandra Park. The application included maximum numbers for various sizes of event which implied a very large increase in the number and type of events to be held in the Park. Many of you wrote to me about concerns over the impact of this on the Park and on Park users and local residents. I and others made the Board of the Trust aware of these concerns and although the Board approved the application as it stood, the Board required that the Trust management must restrict the number of events this year to a much lower number. The application for the licence is about to be submitted to Haringey Council.

The Trust Chief Executive, Louise Stewart, has set up a public meeting in order to provide information about the benefit of obtaining a premises licence, the nature of the events which are being considered, the areas of the Park which would be used and the way these events will be managed and monitored.

The driver for the increase in events in the Park is primarily the need for the Trust to increase income in the face of Haringey Council's reduction in its financial contribution to the charity. However we need to ensure that this driver is balanced against the need to preserve the value of the Park as a rich natural environment and (relatively) peaceful open space. The way in which future events are selected and managed to minimise their impact on the Park is something we hope to learn about at this meeting.

You are welcome to attend the meeting which is at 6.30pm on Tuesday January 31st in the Londesborough Room at Alexandra Palace. There is no need to register or book a place.

Summary and update - 2016

The AP&P Trust management put forward a proposal to apply for a Premises Licence for Alexandra Park, which if approved would allow a large increase in the number of events in the park, namely up to 43 event days (plus necessary days of setting up and breaking down) per year. The Board of Trustees met after hearing the unanimous expressions of concern from the Friends of Alexandra Park and local residents about the effect on wildlife, flora and fauna, and increased noise, litter and traffic resulting from an increased number and scale of park events.

The Board and management recognised these concerns, and the Board decided that, although the licence application could go ahead as proposed, the number of events days will be limited to 30 in 2017/18, and will not be increased beyond that without Board approval. The Trust management has also to formalise its monitoring and reporting in relation to impacts, event management quality, together with actions and investment to manage the potential impacts on the park and make it more resilient for hosting events.

The Chair of the Board’s letter to the Consultative and Advisory committee on this can be seen here.

Proposal to increase the number of commercial events in Alexandra Park

Autumn 2016

Summary, at Oct 2016

The AP&P Trust management put forward a proposal (see below) to apply for a Premises Licence for Alexandra Park, which if approved would allow a large increase in the number of events in the park, namely up to 43 event days (plus necessary days of setting up and breaking down) per year. The Board of Trustees met after hearing the unanimous expressions of concern from the Friends of Alexandra Park and local residents about the effect on wildlife, flora and fauna, and increased noise, litter and traffic resulting from an increased number and scale of park events.

The Board and management recognised these concerns, and the Board decided that, although the licence application could go ahead as proposed, the number of events days will be limited to 30 in 2017/18, and will not be increased beyond that without Board approval. The Trust management has also to formalise its monitoring and reporting in relation to impacts, event management quality, together with actions and investment to manage the potential impacts on the park and make it more resilient for hosting events.

The Chair of the Board’s letter to the Consultative and Advisory committee on this can be seen here.

1) The Proposal

The management of Alexandra Park and Palace has put forward a proposal to apply for a Premises Licence which would allow then to run a large number of commercial events in Alexandra Park. Whereas there are now just 3 or 4 medium to large events (e.g. Fireworks, Summer Festival, Red Bull SoapBox Derby) this could increase to 15 or more, together with maybe 20 smaller events. None of the events, other than the Fireworks are likely to occupy large areas of the Park: 6 areas have been identified for possible events, and studies have been carried out to ensure that safety at and around the events would be assured, and noise levels for residents would be acceptable.

While we agree that some income generation from the Park is necessary, and the Trust management has improved its management of events in the Park, they have not presented their plans for future events in the Park in any detail. We have concerns that the proposed scale and frequency of events is not compatible with maintenance of the Park as a green open space, and a place to experience the natural world. The Consultative and Advisory committees were asked to give their views at a meeting on September 29^th, 2016 and the Board of Trustees considered the proposal.

You can find the proposal from the Trust management here.

2) Update on the Commercial use of the Park Proposal

We sent all the Friends an email on the 26th of September about the proposal for a premises licence for the Park. See below for a reminder of the details. You have responded vigorously and have clear concerns that the number and size of events anticipated would be a real threat to the Park in terms of its maintenance as a green and open space for exercise and relaxation. Worries about the effect on wildlife, flora and fauna, and increased noise, litter, traffic have all been raised. At the Consultative and Advisory Committee meeting at which this was discussed these concerns were raised, not only by Gordon, on behalf of the Friends of Alexandra Park, but also by local residents’ representatives.

"The meeting gave a clear steer to the Board members, who attend these meetings, that they should scale back the proposed level of event activity in the Park. In addition, investment in the Park was called for, to mitigate the damaging effect of these events."

3) Statement issued from the Board Meeting of 29th September, 2016

The Board discussed the report, and the request for approval to submit a premises licence application for the park. A number of topics were considered – the comments and concerns of the SAC/CC, the number of event days, the types of events, the potential impact on the park, and the measures that would be taken to mitigate this.

Following a vote it was resolved that:

i) the request for submission of a premises licence application for the Parkland to the Licensing Authority be approved, with the following conditions:

- the application shall be for 43 event days - however, it was recognised that if the application was successful and a licence is granted the Trust should not aim to reach this level immediately and that a more gradual approach would enable the Board to ensure that the increased number of events were being monitored and managed effectively. Therefore the Board agreed that the maximum number of event days that the Board shall allow to take place is capped at 30 for 17/18 and shall not be exceeded in future years without the permission of the Board. (This total applies to licensable events and includes AP own brand and 3rd party events).

ii) the AP Outdoor Event Strategy shall be completed to include the management and monitoring approach for these events, including impact metrics, and that the completed document be presented to the Board at a future date, no later than July 2017 .

iii) the Board, whilst recognising the constraints on resources, directed the executive to ensure that appropriate measures and resources, to manage the impacts on the Park, were included in the Business Plan for 17/18