Hounslow: Review your Premises Licence with Gunnersbury Park!

Hounslow Council have just granted a Licence to Gunnersbury Park, allowing it to run
• 4 Melas each year
• 4 beer festivals of up to 10,000 people
• Noisy Events going on to 10:30pm

UNRELENTING
They say 21 days between events (the old Licence said 60 days) but they may allow 2 events at the same time in western playing fields or large events 8 weekends out of 11 throughout the summer!

CORPORATE TAKE OVER
Incredibly, they banned small wedding receptions (and other parties less than 500 people) from having a bar, but will allow boozy festivals to sell alcohol to take away around the park and into the streets! So much for little people getting to enjoy a party in the park….it will all be big business!

EXISTING USERS IGNORED
Forget about quiet walks with children, park runs, kite flying, big business making profits will take priority with parts of the park closed off

THIS LICENCE WILL ALLOW
• Events can go on till 10:30 not 9pm. Crowds and cars at larger events make a noise till 11:30 at least…
• 4 Special Events annually (>10,000 people) – eg. London Mela
• 5 Large Events annually (> 5000 people) – eg. Big beer festival
• 10 Medium Events annually (< 5000 people) – eg Jazz Festival
• 28 Small Events annually (<500 people) – eg. Company outing
• Events can sell alcohol to take out of the park
• 21 days between events sounds good till you see the western Playing Fields is divided into 2 zones, so we could have 2 events at the same time, or one after the other, for 8 weekends out of 11!
• Why no Alcohol at small events (less than 500 people)?
• Noise and Anti-social behaviour will sky rocket
• Litter in the park will be a constant nuisance
• Parts of the park will be closed off for long periods not just for the event but for set up and clear down, with security lighting, sound checks and other disturbance!

WHO WANTS THIS LICENCE
So who are the people hoping to turn the park into a rowdy dive?
The councillor-run Gunnersbury Park Advisory Panel is supposedly in charge, but they are handing over control to

Gunnersbury Estate 2026 Community Interest Company -
who will lease the park and employ people. They applied for the licence.
No members of the community involved in it, only 3 council officials

Gunnersbury Museum and Park Development Trust
A Limited Company and charity. Its relationship is unclear.
Are they more interested in raising money or spending it?

There seems no way local people get a look in!

A LICENCE TO INCLUDE THE NEIGHBOURHOOD!
WE SAY :A licence should mark the bounds of what is acceptable, and Hounslow have shown what a low opinion they have of this area.
Let’s show them this neighbourhood deserves better!

STIG (Save Trees In Gunnersbury) helped defeat plans in 2009 to sell off part of the park for housing – we can knock some sense into officialdom now too!

REPRESENTATION FROM THE COMMUNITY THAT USES THE PARK DAILY
The community is more than the big events organisers and sports clubs. People use the park daily to walk their dogs, go for a run, fly kites, ride their bikes or sit and relax.
All these activities will be restricted by what Hounslow plan!
It is time Local people were listened to for a change!

WE WANT:
• No event after 9pm
• Fewer larger events
• 21 days respite between events in western playing fields
• Small events can have a bar!

Gunnersbury Park – TIME TO BE A GOOD NEIGHBOUR!