Residents await decision on future of festivals at Gunnersbury Park

Waterworks festival 2025; Photograph Daisy Denham

Councillors hear application by residents’ association to review Gunnersbury Park’s premises licence

The management of Gunnersbury Park and local residents went before the Licensing Panel of Hounslow Council on Friday 27 March to discuss the park’s future.

The Gunnersbury Park Garden Estate residents committee had called for a review of the Park’s licence to operate events, and were there in force to make their case.

Chair of the Gunnersbury Park Garden Estate residents committee Pete Bainbridge told the meeting they were not there to “eliminate” the events, but “to reduce the scale and make them safe and fair for everybody”.

The residents’ association wants to reduce the number of events “by about half” and reduce the permitted noise level from 75dB to 65dB.

The company which runs events at Gunnersbury Park, Gunnersbury Estate 2026 CIC, regards the licence review as an existential threat, as they say they need the money from the music festivals they put on to pay for the upkeep of the park.

READ ALSO: Dispute over the future of Gunnersbury Park comes to a head

LB Hounslow Licensing Panel L to R: Cllr Gabriella Giles; Cllr Farhaan Rehman; Cllr Dan Bowring; screen grab from Hounslow Council’s YouTube recording of the meeting 

The meeting got off to a bad start, with those who had turned up to make representations being kept waiting over an hour because one of the Council’s legal advisers had been delayed, and there was a further delay when the residents representatives went to play their presentation, and found the audiovisual screen and speakers had not been set up.

Chairing the meeting, Cllr Dan Bowring said the application by the residents to review the park’s premises licence included topics which were not related to the Licensing Act, which were not within the panel’s remit to consider, for example planning aspects. The Panel would only give judgement on those matters which were legally within its scope.

Waterworks festival 2025; Photograph Jake Davis

Sound “doubled” by bouncing off Chiswick Business Park

Referring to the four conditions of the premises licence held by Gunnersbury Estate 2026 CIC, Pete Bainbridge told the meeting the park’s operators had broken all four.

Addressing each in turn, with regard to crime, disorder and public safety he said there was clear evidence of drug use and dealing, antisocial behaviour, and burglary as a result of the festivals.

“The impact of these is not stopped at the park boundary. The impact goes right the way through, particularly our area…

“In terms of public nuisance, residents experience sustained noise, intrusive vibration and loss of access to their park as well as access to all sorts of amenities – the shops by the top of our road, numerous bikes get dumped everywhere, all as a result of the particular events which are part and parcel of this licence”.

The residents’ association makes its case; screen grab from Hounslow Council’s YouTube recording of the meeting 

Children were exposed to unsafe noise levels he said, and were affected by the loss of access to safe playgrounds, sports field and facilities in the park while events were on.

“For example, one event used the playground as a VIP entrance”.

Some events took place during term time he added, and there were schools nearby which were disturbed. Homes were “shaken” by the bass and women felt unsafe walking home.

The number of complaints had increased from 105 in 2022 to 663 in 2025 and they had gathered over 1,200 petition signatures, whereas he argued the majority of support for the company running the park came from “individuals connected to the CIC” [Community Interest Company]

Festival goers at 2025 Waterworks festival; Photograph Angelina Nikolayeva

The residents’ association is asking for a reduction in the sound, capped at 65dB, and fewer event days. They want independent, real time noise monitoring, preferably by the Council, or by an independent, “outside of the park, in the areas where people actually live, not just on the park boundaries”.

The residents’ association Chair said there were examples of sound being “doubled by reflecting off Chiswick Business Park”.

“There are pockets of areas, certainly within our estate, where the volume is significantly louder simply on the grounds that you receive it twice. It’s very confusing getting the same concert half a second apart”.

They also want policing in residential areas around the park.

“The areas that we actually live in are pretty much free of any sort of policing, so we’d like to increase the policing requirements, reduce the fencing and review the licence after this summer’s events”.

Chiswick Riverside Cllr Gabrella Giles asked why they had submitted so much information in their application (209 pages plus annexes and supporting comments, including copies of licences held by other parks for comparison).

“You have supplied us with a huge amount of information, not all of which is relevant”.

It was for “context”, said the residents’ group.

Cllr Dan Bowring suggested Council officers had done them a favour by highlighting the bits that were relevant, as those were the residents’ strongest arguments.

Solicitor representing Gunnersbury Park (second from the left) answers the case for review; screen grab from Hounslow Council’s YouTube recording of the meeting 

“Misunderstanding of fundamental acoustic principles” by the residents

Answering the case the residents had made for a licence review, the solicitor speaking on behalf of Gunnersbury Park said there had been a “misunderstanding of fundamental acoustic principles” by the residents and a “misrepresentation of existing management practices”.

He argued 75dB was “a norm, if we are considering other similar parks”. The demand to change it was “unnecessary”‘

The ‘Blue Light services’ monitored all their proposals he told the meeting.

“The Police say the events are very well run”, and the noise levels had been “assiduously maintained”. The Licensing authority said there were “very few issues”.

“We recognise the importance of the management of the external space”, he conceded. “We are not avoiding our responsibilities there”.

He accepted the toilets needed to be cleaned more regularly and said the Park was “fully prepared to engage in an open dialogue with residents”.

They did not accept that access to the park was overly curtailed by the events, saying the entire area taken up by events was only 13% the park.

Waterworks 2025; Photograph Daisy Denham

Festivals at Gunnersbury Park not as unpopular with locals as the residents’ association makes out

He finished by questioning the unpopularity of festivals at the park amongst local residents as a whole, pointing out that 2,000 tickets were given out to local people last year, 750 by Festival Republic alone.

“If there is a suggestion that the groundswell of opinion in the locality is anti these events in this park, we simply don’t accept that”.

The three councillors who made up the Panel: Cllr Bowring, Cllr Giles and Cllr Farhaan Rehman said they would give their response “within five working days”, which will be by Friday 3 April.

Waterworks 2025; Photograph Daisy Denham

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