Council Adopts New Proposals for Events in Parks
Presses ahead with changes despite negative consultation response
Battersea Park will be subject to a later review. Picture: Wandsworth Council
July 16, 2025
New rules are being rolled out for Wandsworth’s green spaces to allow more events to be held including over the winter months.
Wandsworth Council approved its new policy for the borough’s parks, commons and open spaces on Monday night (14 July).
The new policy replaces the one adopted in 2014 and the council says the aim is to encourage more small, community events to be held in Wandsworth’s parks – including by allowing grassed areas to be used for events from 30 September to 1 April for the first time, with decisions on applications from organisers to be made on a case-by-case basis.
Events will also be allowed to finish after 10pm in exceptional circumstances. Tooting Common, Wandsworth Common and King George’s Park are among the parks covered by the policy. Battersea Park is not included and will be the subject of a separate review at a later stage.
Other key changes in the policy include requiring all organisers of ticketed events to offer reduced or free access to residents eligible for the council’s Access for All scheme, like those who receive benefits. It groups events into three categories from A to C depending on their size – from up to 2,499 attendees, 2,500 to 4,999 attendees and 5,000 to 10,000 attendees respectively.
The policy does not allow more than six category B events or four category C events on the same park in any six-month period. It also introduces stronger environmental commitments, requiring organisers to slash waste and air pollution and promote public transport.
There has been concern expressed about the council’s proposals from both the Conservative and Liberal Democrats in the borough. They are sceptical about the claims that the policy is geared towards community events and believe that pressure to bring in revenue will result in the parks hosting more large-scale commercial events. It is feared that this could result in more noise, littering, anti-social behaviour and damage to wildlife in the parks.
The council carried out a public consultation on a draft of the new policy in April and May, which received 833 responses plus emails on the matter. The council says its policy was finalised in response to feedback from residents, with changes including restricting events on Wandsworth Common to category A events with a maximum of 2,499 attendees.
Walking and spending time in nature were by far the most common uses of parks, while fewer than 10% of respondents reported attending events. A significant portion voiced a preference for few or no events at all.
A large majority—over 80%—reported problems linked to events, most notably noise, litter, grass damage, and restricted access. Those who had recently attended an event were somewhat less likely to report issues.
There was strong opposition to allowing winter events on grass, with concerns about long-term damage. Respondents supported the protection of ecological sites, though many felt the proposed policy was vague. Views on sports pitch use were divided; while some saw potential for flexible use, others worried about wear and reduced access for sport. A majority opposed extending event times beyond 10pm, citing noise and disturbance. Changes to alcohol licensing drew mixed reactions, with concerns over anti-social behaviour and litter.
Other feedback included calls for stricter limits on audience size, frequency of large events, and better enforcement of environmental protections. Sustainable event practices were supported in principle but criticised for lacking enforcement mechanisms. The public expressed a desire for clearer definitions—particularly around what qualifies as an event—and for meaningful community consultation before changes are made.
Labour councillor Paul White, Cabinet Member for the Environment, told the meeting that “events in our parks, commons and open spaces play a significant role in achieving our ambitious goals of parks for everyone – we want to enable access to events in parks and open spaces across the borough, reaching all communities”.
Councillor White added the policy aimed “to strike a better balance between community events and the protection of green spaces” compared to the 2014 version.
There is a separate events policy for Battersea Park, with a review of this set to be carried out in due course.
The report said: “We value our parks, commons and open spaces as important places for nature and people, and we recognise that events in parks, commons and open spaces must be sustainable and carefully managed to deliver benefits for the citizens of Wandsworth. The proposals in this report seek to enable the delivery of a sustainable and varied events programme while minimising any impacts events may cause for parks, commons and open space infrastructure and the wider community.”
Written with contributions from Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter
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