Still Time to Comment on Gunnersbury Park's 10-Year Events Application

Residents told to disregard earlier incorrect deadline date

The application would allow 90 days for set up and dismantling event infrastructure. Picture: Gunnersbury Heritage

December 19, 2025

Residents still have time to respond to the planning application that would allow up to 28 large-scale events a year in Gunnersbury Park for the next decade.

The deadline for comments is now 5 January 2026, following confirmation that site notices for the application were not posted until last week. Under planning rules, the 21-day consultation period runs from the date the notices go up — not from the date letters are sent to residents or when the application appears on the council’s website.

Many households received letters stating that the deadline was 18 December, leading to confusion and concern that residents were being given insufficient time to respond. The council’s planning website still shows the earlier date, but officers have confirmed that the legally valid deadline is 5 January. The planning team is unable to change the date on the web site

The application, submitted by Gunnersbury Estate (2026) CIC, seeks a 10-year planning consent allowing the temporary change of use of two large areas of the park — the Old Cricket Pitch and the South Playing Fields — for up to 28 live event days per year, plus 90 days for set-up, breakdown and “dark days” when areas of the park would be fenced off.

The CIC argues that a long-term consent would remove the need for repeated annual applications and provide financial stability for the upkeep of the Grade II* listed park and its historic buildings. In its planning statement, the applicant says:
“It is hoped this ten-year application will overcome the need for costly and time-consuming applications for individual events, and streamline this process whilst still providing the necessary comforts to the Council regarding their operation and management.”

But the scale and duration of the proposal have triggered strong objections from residents and local representatives, particularly those living closest to the park who have experienced noise, crowding, traffic disruption and ground damage during previous festivals.

Cllr Joanna Biddolph, who represents Chiswick Gunnersbury ward, said “This application is highly controversial and Cllr Ron Mushiso and I have been copied in to numerous emails from residents responding to it. It is clear that there is overwhelming opposition to the 10-year blanket permission the CIC has applied for. Residents want oversight of each application because the impact of many large festivals on residents has been significant.”

If approved permission would be given for up to 28 live event days per year between May 2026 and May 2036 with capacities ranging from 3,499 to 29,999 attendees. This would allow festivals and other events use of either the Old Cricket Pitch or the South Playing Fields — but not both at the same time. There would be 90 additional days for construction, deconstruction and non-public “dark days”

The CIC emphasises that all profits from events are reinvested into the park’s upkeep, and that Gunnersbury Park’s rising maintenance costs — now exceeding £2.3m annually — make event income increasingly important.

Gunnersbury Park has hosted a growing number of commercial events in recent years, including Waterworks, Festival Republic concerts, Soho House Festival and Secret Cinema. Each has required a separate planning application unless covered by permitted development rules, which allow up to 28 days of temporary use per year.

The CIC argues that a single 10-year consent would reduce administrative burdens and provide certainty for both the park and event organisers. However, opponents say that removing annual scrutiny would weaken accountability and reduce residents’ ability to challenge or shape individual events.

Residents now have until 5 January to submit comments. To do so visit the planning section of the Hounslow Council web site and search using the reference: P/2025/3274. The council has confirmed that although the planning website cannot be updated to reflect the new deadline, all responses received by that date will be considered valid.

The application is expected to attract a high volume of submissions, and given the scale and sensitivity of the proposal — affecting a Grade II* listed landscape, Metropolitan Open Land and a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation — it is likely to go before Hounslow’s Planning Committee for a decision some time next year.