Proposals to host community events on a Redbridge playing field have been met with heavy push back from residents and gardeners.
Redbridge Council received a licensing application from Haseeb Saleh, seeking to host monthly fairs in Orchards Playing Fields in Ilford.
Combined with the neighbouring Goodmayes Park, the field spans 25 acres. It has a capacity of up to 15,000 standing attendees, according to documents submitted to the council.
If the licence was granted, one event a month would be held between April and October – working out to a total of eight a year, held on either a Saturday or Sunday.
They would involve performances from a children’s dance school, local singers, and a professional DJ.
Fifteen formal objections have been lodged against the plans, detailing concerns over noise and public nuisance, by residents and the Seven Kings and Goodmayes Allotment Society.
One local said the sale of alcohol in a public area could “encourage anti-social behaviour, littering and disorder, making the area unsafe for local residents”.
Under the licence, alcohol would be on sale to attendees between 10am and 6pm. The events would run until 8pm.
Though the events would only take place once a month, and not during the winter, there are fears it could disrupt the tranquility of a park that retirees and the elderly rely on. One resident said elderly residents may feel “vulnerable due to increased footfall, noise, and potential disturbances”.
A representative of the allotment society, writing on behalf of 200 “truly distressed” members, said: “We are against loud noises which will spoil the tranquility and peacefulness of your natural area where members appreciate their mindfulness activities.
“We have many species of wildlife, including bees and birds, which require undisturbed area and [are] hoping do not come to any harm.”
Despite residents’ concerns, neither the council’s licensing department nor the Metropolitan Police have objected to the plans.
Haseeb Saleh is also the operator of Unity Festival in Hornchurch, which is licensed by Havering Council for the same hours. It takes place over six weekends between April and September.
A total of 40 conditions have been imposed on Unity Festival, including that decibel levels are monitored to ensure music is played at a “considerate level”. Six security guards and three stewards must be hired for each event, while two cleaners will regularly empty the twelve on-site bins.
The organisers need to also produce a full event management plan a month in advance, which includes provisions for managing people’s welfare, crime, and any ‘major incidents’.
Haseeb has agreed to abide by the same conditions at Orchards Playing Fields.
As per an additional request by the Met, two security guards equipped with radios shall be employed to “manage traffic effectively”.
A decision will be made on the scheme at a licensing committee hearing scheduled for Tuesday, 22 April.
