Despite David Bowler, CEO of the Gunnersbury Park community interest company (CIC), saying, at the autumn 2025 Chiswick Area Forum, he would communicate more and consult more with residents, everyone was surprised to learn in January 2026 that the CIC had applied for a 10-year blanket planning permission for festivals. No warning, no discussion, no consultation: residents were alerted after the application had been made and posted on Hounslow council's planning portal. Cllr Joanna Biddolph, who since she was first elected in 2018, has consistently represented residents' views, and businesses' experiences, to the CIC has responded robustly objecting to the 10-year application and supporting residents' comments including on decibel levels.
No to 10-year blanket approval
Residents' views have been disregarded since 2018 and they must have oversight of, and the chance to comment on, every application. It is the only chance they have of changing the CIC's attitude to consultation - that residents and others are a nuisance, interfering with the management of the park. It is a public park, not a commercial venue.
Significantly, at the Chiswick Area Forum last autumn, the CIC promised that the CIC would consult more and communicate more. The CIC CEO did not mention then, or since; did not consult then, or since, that he would be submitting a 10-year application. No-one was consulted; no-one was told; it happened without anyone knowing anything about it. This 10-year application would, in effect, state that the council doesn't care about its residents' views and that it does not support consultation or communication with residents.
No to nine years, eight years, seven years, six years, five years, four years, three years, two years and one year.
Residents much have full oversight of each festival application every time. Trust in the CIC, its consultancies and the festival organisers is so low, because of the numerous persistent problems and a tendency to vary agreements randomly and unilaterally. Residents have had promise after promise after promise and experienced promises broken. The CIC has not earned the trust that would support blanket approval of any length.
Cost of each application to be passed on to each festival organiser
The CIC has claimed that each application costs it £25,000 and that a 10-year blanket planning permission will save a large amount of money. The consequences of this are on residents. Residents should not have to pay the consequences of the CIC not wanting to pay for normal council processes. The cost of each application should be passed on to each festival organiser; this should be part of the CIC's contract with each festival organiser.
No three-day events
Three-day events, usually but not necessarily always over a weekend on Friday, Saturday, Sunday evenings, mean relentless problems that are intolerable to residents. The overall application should be refused on numerous grounds but, if it is approved, the approval must include a condition that there cannot and must not be any three-day events.
Measurements of sound, vibrations, etc
Residents won a few concessions in 2023 when David Bowler and Steven Maunders attended the Chiswick Area Forum that June; they included:
Suppression of lower frequencies that cause thumping/vibrations must be compulsory: David Bowler said, at the June 2023 Chiswick Area Forum, that festival organisers had agreed a voluntary suppression of two lower frequencies (that cause thumping and vibrations). This worked well the next year but at least one festival organiser ignored it in 2025 with thumping and vibrations recorded throughout Chiswick from people living beside the park to as far as Stamford Brook and Hammersmith. There was huge anger again, with greater loss of trust in the CIC. The suppression of these two lower frequencies must become a compulsory requirement; other lower frequencies that cause thumping and/or vibrations must be similarly suppressed. The removal of this reasonable policy is a strong reason to refuse this application. However, if the application is approved, the compulsory suppression, by all festival organisers, of all the lower frequencies that cause thumping/vibration must be a condition.
Five-minute rolling time span for measuring sound impact: David Bowler announced, at the June 2023 Chiswick Area Forum, that the CIC had agreed that sound impact would be measured over rolling five minute time spans, not the previous 15 minute time spans, and this was welcomed by Peter Robertson who had presented a sound report at that Chiswick Area Forum. The current application has ignored this - other than for low frequencies. This is a significantly retrograde step: denying residents of a significant safeguard that the CIC offered; reversing this safeguard provides another example of the CIC acting for PR gain then reversing its decision, hoping no-one would notice. The removal of this reasonable policy is a strong reason to refuse this application. However, if the application is approved, the rolling five minute span over which to measure sound impact must apply to all festivals and must be a condition.
Random individual decisions to vary agreements must not occur
During the 2025 festivals several festival organisers randomly decided to lift agreements without any reference to councillors or residents. They made ill-informed decisions such as removing marshals from locations along the route from Acton Town tube station because the tube station was closed; festival-goers arrived by other means and the marshals were needed to reduce the risk and occurrence of ASB such as public urination and defecation including into residents' gardens. Local residents and councillors knew there would be no reason to change the confirmed arrangements; they should not have been changed. Festival organisers and organisations working with the CIC and the CIC must not act unilaterally. They do not live locally and do not understand local behaviour including how people travel to Gunnersbury Park. The low trust in festival organisers, the CIC and its consultants is a strong reason to refuse this application. However, if the application is approved, agreed arrangements made through the CIC and direct with festival organisers must be implemented as agreed, not varied randomly, and this must be a condition of the planning approval.
Policies and procedures for all festival and event organisers must be compiled into a pack that forms part of the contracts between CIC and festival/event organisers.
A pack must be compiled by the CIC, if appropriate through its main festival organising consultancy, for all festival organisers to follow to the letter and in spirit. Local councillors have asked for this for at least five years. It was promised but never delivered until a pack of sorts was produced, I understand, for 2025 festivals. It was wholly inadequate and needs to be improved swiftly and included as part of each and every festival and event contract. It should include all issues and problems common to events such as anti-social behaviour, drug risks, generators, lighting, litter picking, marshals, parking, public loos, signage and its removal, taxi drop-off and pick-up, vehicle tracking and times, etc. This pack must be compiled this year, before festival contracts are drawn-up, in consultation with Chiswick Gunnersbury ward councillors and residents who live near and beyond the park. If the application is approved, compiling a comprehensive pack of services as described must be a condition of the planning approval.
Management of the land
Land has become compacted and items of litter and other waste, including hard plastics, metals and other materials, are embedded in the land. Attempts to repair and regenerate grass have not been successful. The park is becoming inhospitable to leisure activities including dog walking because it can be waterlogged and/or dangerous to play or run on. Improvements are needed in the way the land is cleared of festival detritus - after each and every festival and at the end of a festival season - and in the way it is repaired and improved.
Amount of land taken up by festivals must be reduced
Too much land is taken up by festivals. It is a public park, not a commercial venue. The Rothschild covenant applies. Land taken up must be reduced.
Land must be released to public use between festivals. Too much land is cut off from public use for far too long. It must be released between festivals. Fences must be removed between festivals - and I realise there will be a cost but this must be borne by each festival organiser. It is a public park, not a commercial venue.
Supporting the objections of the Gunnersbury Park Garden Estate residents' association and other residents' objections.
I support the Gunnersbury Park Residents' Association submission. I have not included its points as they have been well-made. Other residents have made compelling and persuasive objections; I support them as well.
Cllr Joanna Biddolph's initial holding response
I will be objecting especially, but not only, to the 10 year point and to nine years, eight years, seven years, six years, five years, four years, three years, two years and one year.
Residents' views have been disregarded since 2018 and they must have oversight of, and the chance to comment on, every application. It is the only chance they have of changing the applicant's understanding that he needs to do what he says he will do in terms of consultation - which only a few months ago he promised, then he submitted the 10-year application without anyone knowing anything about it.
There are other issues including noise - volume/decibels and the lower frequencies; management of the land; ASB; and more.
