Lib Dems are demanding that local residents have a say over council plans to increase the number of Finsbury Park concerts.

The proposal was revealed in recent budget papers.  Stroud Green councillors believe that park users and residents who live near the park should be consulted over the events which take up large parts of the park and can be very disruptive.

Currently events are limited to 5 days a year, but the council has revealed it wants to rip up this agreement to raise a further £85,000 from commercial event managers.  The news comes on top of a recent decision by the licensing committee to increase the crowd capacity at events in the park by 25% from 40,000 to 50,000.

The noise, disruption and the loss of park space during weekends and school holidays as well as damage to the park itself are problems that have been associated with the concerts for some time.

The small sum that could be raised by the extra concerts is dwarfed by the £2.5m spent by the council on publicity.

Lib Dem councillor for Stroud Green, Cllr Katherine Reece comments:

The news that Haringey Council want to have even more concerts in Finsbury Park will be very troubling for many Stroud Green and Harringay Ladder residents.  It is a densely populated area and the concerts cause so much noise and disruption.  The Labour council risks a serious backlash if they try to force through even more events in the park.

The concerts in Finsbury Park are hugely enjoyable for those who attend, but local residents and park users need to be considered too.  For many local families Finsbury Park is their back garden and the concerts can mean nowhere for their kids to play.  These events can also cause huge damage to the park turning grassy areas into mud-baths as happened in Hyde Park this year.  This damage can take months and months to repair.

The council need to hold a full consultation with local residents and park users before making any decision to hold more concerts.

David Schmitz, Lib Dem councillor for Harringay ward adds:

While every penny counts, the amount left over from £40,000 after cleaning up the site will not be worth the disruption caused to local residents, their needs must be properly considered.

If the council is really interested in saving money, it should look at huge waste caused by things like its £2.3 million publicity budget.