Lambeth must consult more on music levels
26 January 2012
Councillors in Wandsworth have expressed concerns over plans by neighbouring Lambeth to stage more concerts each year on Clapham Common and at the same time increase volume levels.
Lambeth has signalled that it wants to stage up to eight large scale concerts/music festivals on the common each year and allow music to be played up to 11pm.
At the same time it has also announced that it wants to increase permitted noise levels, which could lead to much greater noise disturbance to hundreds of homes in both boroughs.
The controversial proposals first emerged in the run up to Christmas, with Lambeth announcing its consultation would run for four weeks. Government rules say that consultations of this type should normally last 12 weeks, and in some cases even longer.
Wandsworth’s official response to the consultation casts doubts on the methodology and the evidence used to justify any increases in noise levels.
In places the consultation is described as “flawed” and “defective” while an analysis of existing complaints “would suggest if anything that the current (noise) levels are too lax and that far from proposing any relaxation of noise levels a fair review of existing policy would have concluded that the current noise levels may need reducing”.
Wandsworth’s environment spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook said: “I’m afraid that Lambeth is a long way from making a clear cut case for these changes.
“What it needs to do now is to sit down and engage more closely with residents who live near the common.
“It would simply not be acceptable for changes as drastic as these to be made without full and proper consultation with those most directly affected by any relaxation in the noise rules.”
The borough boundary between the two boroughs runs north/south through the middle of the common – meaning that half the common is geographically located in the borough of Wandsworth. However for operational reasons the common is managed solely by Lambeth.
Officers and councillors from Wandsworth are actively raising this issue with their opposite numbers in Lambeth.
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