COUNCILLORS have raised concerns about whether a series of gigs at a popular Cardiff park is breaching planning rules after a recent High Court ruling.
Blackweir Live has already had its first gig, with Noah Kahan performing there on Friday, June 27, and the green walls surrounding Blackweir Fields have been in place since at least June 25.
With the breakdown of the event expected to be completed by July 21 questions have been raised by campaigners about how long the park will be inaccessible for and whether planning approval should have been sought for use of the site.
It comes after a High Court judge quashed a certificate of lawfulness by Lambeth Council in May to allow the use of Brockwell Park in London for a series of gigs for more than 28 days.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats at Cardiff Council, Cllr Rodney Berman, asked at a recent full council meeting: “Some residents have suggested to me that the usage of the fields for these concerts may not be in compliance with current planning consent so can you assure the council that you are satisfied that the Blackweir Live events constitutes a legal usage of the fields in planning terms?”
Cardiff Council’s cabinet member for culture, parks and events, Cllr Jennifer Burke, responded: “We have worked with local promoters, we are working with local businesses.
“As I mentioned this is bringing in £35m worth of local spend.”
She later added: “I am satisfied with the advice from officers that we have followed the right path and processes.”
A Cardiff Council spokesman said the local authority is aware of the High Court ruling related to Brockwell Park and that it is reviewing the details and full implications of it.
Lambeth Council used permitted development rights to allow live music at Brockwell Park.
The Standard reported that the High Court ruling on May 16 found the council’s lawful development certificate to be “irrational” and that the period between commencement and normal use of the park (37 days) was beyond the scope of planning development rights.
Lambeth Council later approved a new certificate of lawfulness for 24 days.
The Conservatives group leader at Cardiff Council, Cllr John Lancaster, said at last week’s council meeting: “There’s a number of people, residents around the area, that are concerned about the noise generated by the event and of course they would like to see the noise management plan.”
He later added: “We hear today that potentially the whole event could be in breach of planning conditions.”
The next round of major acts coming to Blackweir Fields include Slayer, who are performing on Thursday, July 3, and Stevie Wonder, who’s playing on Wednesday, July 9.
A Cardiff Council spokesman said: “Public safety and security considerations mean that the fence around the Blackweir Live site will remain in place throughout the events until the event breakdown is complete.
“During this period 108.4 of the park’s 130 acres will be open to the public as normal on days when no concerts are taking place – that equates to 83.4% of the park’s total area.”
“The council is aware of the recent High Court ruling related to Brockwell Park in London. The details and full implications of the ruling are being reviewed and will be taken into consideration ahead of any future events.”
The controversy surrounding Blackweir Live started when tickets for gigs went on sale before a licence to allow events of up to 35,000 people on Blackweir Fields was approved.
Cardiff Council argued that the series of events, organised by Depot Live and Cuffe and Taylor, will generate tens of millions for the economy and help maintain Bute Park in the future.
However campaigners opposed to Blackweir Live said too much of Bute Park is being closed off for events over the year.
Friends of Bute Park have criticised the council again in a statement published recently, saying the balance between public use of the park and corporate events has “swung too far” and that access to areas of parkland is “almost non-existent” for parts of the summer.
They said: “Cardiff boasts a wide variety of venues – open air and indoor – capable of hosting many different sizes of audience for a range of different artists and events.
“These provide many opportunities for commercial promoters and so deliver the council’s aim of attracting more visitor spend into the city.
“There are also areas down the Bay which could be re-engineered or revitalised.
“As such there is simply no argument for developing Bute Park as an entertainment venue with an all-day, every day alcohol licence.”
The statement added: “Cardiff Council has fundamentally altered and shifted the energy and the feeling of the park. People no longer feel welcome.
“The construction on site makes the field hostile and unwelcoming. This can have deep negative impacts for people who use Bute Park as a space to improve mental wellbeing, as a green subscription.
“And let’s not forget that Bute Park, the castle, and its grounds were gifted by the Bute Family in 1947 to the people of Cardiff and not to the corporation.”
A Cardiff Council spokesman said: “In the first instance we want to be very clear that Cardiff Council takes great pride in the city’s parks. Our dedicated parks team work hard to ensure that the our parks continue to be recognised as being among some of the best in the UK.
“We fully recognise the important role parks and green spaces play from an environmental, economic, and social perspective. They make a significant contribution to the well-being of our city.
“The Friends of Bute Park are an important part of the Bute Park community and we continue to engage with them, as we have done since last summer before the Blackweir Live events were announced, to try to address their concerns.
“There has also been opportunity for the community to share their views through the recent premises licencing process for Blackweir Fields. Input from the community on a range of issues, including noise and alcohol licensing, resulted in a series of strict conditions being applied to the licence.”
