Lambeth listens on noisy concert concerns

The campaign has persuaded Lambeth to put its plans on hold and agree to a more detailed and comprehensive public consultation exercise later in the year.

Local residents and councillors in Wandsworth had expressed disquiet after Lambeth announced it wanted to stage more concerts on the common each year and at the same time increase noise levels.

Critics accused Lambeth of rushing the decision and of failing to properly consult the public. The controversial proposals emerged just before Christmas and were followed by just four weeks of public consultation when Government guidelines call for 12.

Wandsworth's environment spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook welcomed the re-think and urged Lambeth to make sure that any future consultation gave the public sufficient time to make their views known.

He said: "This is a victory for common sense. It is difficult to see how Lambeth could have justified making such an important policy decision on the back of such a hasty and unsatisfactory consultation.

"This is a hugely important decision that will affect many residents living near the common. It would not have been right for local people to have been given so little time to respond.

"We are pleased that Lambeth has now signalled its willingness to engage more closely with residents and to conduct a full and thorough consultation. When that process begins I would urge local residents to take part and make sure their voices are heard."

Lambeth had said it was in favour of allowing up to eight large scale concerts on the common each year and permitting music to be played up to 11pm. At the same time it announced proposals to relax limits on noise levels.

Clapham Common is already used for a number of concerts and music festivals each year.

Wandsworth's official response to the month long consultation cast serious doubts on the methodology and the evidence used by Lambeth to justify increases in noise levels.

The borough's noise experts described the consultation as "flawed" and "defective" and said the scale and nature of existing complaints showed that noise limits should be stiffened and not relaxed.

Wandsworth Council was formally consulted as the boundary between the two boroughs runs north/south through the middle of Clapham Common.

This means that although the common is managed and maintained solely by Lambeth, half of those residents affected by any change live in Wandsworth.