The council is planning how to get around a legal ruling restricting parks being used for events for longer than four weeks at a time.
A high court judge ruled last summer that any event which used public spaces for more than 28 days per calendar year, including set up and clear-up time, would require planning permission.
Brighton and Hove City Council says it is now preparing planning applications so several city parks can be used as events spaces. It’s not yet decided whether the applications will be just for this year, or for permanent permission.
It says it will recoup the costs from event organisers through site fees.
The exact list of parks has not yet been finalised, but is likely to include most of Valley Gardens and The Level, where residents complained about not being able to use their parks last summer.
After a Brighton Fringe beer garden pitched up in the northern half of Victoria Gardens a few metres from residential front doors and opening until 2am during May, the council told residents at one of it regular outreach meetings it was clear this was not a suitable place for such an event.
According to a provision list shared with residents, the Spiegelgarden is now earmarked to be held in the southern part of Victoria Gardens next May.
That area is also earmarked for four other events over summer, leaving just nine weeks in the five months from May to September when it won’t be used.
The council said it would apply for a licences covering the whole of Valley Gardens and The Level to reduce the opening hours from the current 2am finish currently allowed on weekend nights during the May festival.
A spokeswoman for the Friends of Valley Gardens said: “Why is the council putting itself in a position where residents who don’t want these events are effectively paying for the costs of applying?
“It’s the organisers who should be putting in for planning permission. The council says they’re going to retrospectively charge the event organisers but they’ll just say the rental costs will cover those planning costs as well – but they just won’t.
“It’s gamekeeper turned poacher.
“It’s got to stop. It’s exactly the same as happened over the licence when they just knocked that through.
“If they award themselves perpetual planning permission they can do whatever the hell they like and to hell with residents. “We will lose the only space and our gardens for the entire summer.
“I don’t get how they are getting away with it.”
Councillor Birgit Miller, cabinet member for culture, said: “We are in the process of preparing planning applications for sites where the total use exceeds the 28 day limit. This will be carried out by the council with assistance from planning consultants.
“As with all our event planning, we are continuing to look at how we minimise any potential disruption caused, and how event spaces are maintained and successfully restored.
“We know this is important to our residents and we’re keen to balance this with the undoubted cultural and economic benefits which come from having such a vibrant and thriving events programme.
“We will also be making the applications for the revised Valley Gardens licences in the coming weeks.”
Glad that the council are doing this. It would be tragic if Brighton lost the outdoor events that makes it such a special and vibrant place. Not sure if the claim they are “getting round” the events ruling is strictly correct – they are simply applying for planning permission in accordance with what the ruling states.
Something needs to pay for councils squandering of money
Perhaps the money they are spending on planning consultants could be better used for the reinstatement of the venues still suffering from the damage of their last events?
I do think that this is an abuse of the public purse and could be subject to judicial review as it is absurd and possibly ultra vires.
A number of residents in each of the areas want events limited and won’t be happy if planning permission is given for over a month of events per year. Our taxpayer money is being used to fund planning consultants to help get planning permission. How about the residents who don’t want this? They don’t have access to taxpayer-funded consultants to make their case. Hardly a level (excuse the pun!) playing field!
If the case is simple, then events staff can apply for planning permission. If it is complex, as I think it is, then a consultation should be the way forwards with local residents listened to. The output of that would form the basis of the planning submission
This does look like our council isn’t wanting to listen to residents and is willing to spend our money to outside consultants to make sure that they win.
Don’t know how they are getting away with this when last yr speigelgardens kept the whole neighbourhood awake fenced off the whole of the green space and capped it off by putting a tent peg through the gas mains which kept the area closed off for further weeks !