Gunnersbury Park Events Plan Faces Crucial Vote

Scaled back proposals for next five years still attracting strong opposition

Large scale events bring both disruption and revenue to maintain the park

July 31, 2026

Hounslow Council’s Planning Committee is set to decide whether Gunnersbury Park request for permission to host large scale events for the next five years will be approved. If the go ahead is given the local green space would be placed under commercial occupation for up to 115 days each year until 2031, in what residents say could become a defining national test case for the future of public parks. The committee meets at 7pm on Thursday 6 August at Hounslow House to determine application P/2025/3274, a proposal that has already attracted more than 500 objections across two rounds of consultation.

The application, submitted by Gunnersbury Park & Museum CIC, seeks permission for a rolling programme of large-scale events, including music festivals, temporary structures, fencing, vehicle compounds and amplified sound reaching up to 90 dB(C) bass. The CIC argues that the income generated is essential to maintaining the Grade II* listed park, designated Metropolitan Open Land and a Nature Conservation Area. The planning officer’s report acknowledges that the scheme would cause temporary harm to heritage assets and ecological sensitivities, but concludes that the cultural and economic benefits outweigh the impacts when combined with mitigation measures and licensing controls.

Residents’ groups, however, say the proposal represents an unprecedented commercialisation of public green space. The Gunnersbury Park Garden Estate Residents Association (GPGERA) describes the meeting as a moment of “major national public interest” that could set a precedent for how councils use the planning system to grant long-term commercial control over public land. It argues that the five-year permission—reduced from an initial ten-year request—remains excessive, removes annual scrutiny, and could be renewed to create a decade of continuous occupation.

Its concerns are not limited to the events themselves with residents saying Hounslow Council placed disproportionate pressure on those publicising the application, including threats of enforcement over posters, while commercial operators such as Live Nation’s Festival Republic and Waterworks were able to advertise events without comparable intervention.

Residents also question the financial sustainability of the CIC. Despite turnover approaching £2.5 million and around £500,000 a year in public funding, several historic buildings remain in disrepair, including the Potomac Tower, stables, farm buildings and the Small Mansion. In 2025, the CIC recorded an £81,000 loss despite hosting more events than ever. At a Chiswick Area Forum, the CIC’s CEO acknowledged that the current model did not “stack up”, while then Cabinet Member for Parks Salman Shaheen told residents, that while their concerns would be listened to “take the Councils to court” if they were disatisfied with the answers they were given. We previously reported in error that Cllr Shaheen was a CIC trustee.

The planning officer’s report recognises the intensity of public feeling and notes that, among over 300 objectors to the current application, there are a number of local councillors and Hammersmith & Chiswick MP Andy Slaughter. Across both consultation rounds, residents raised issues including noise, vibration, fencing, loss of access, ecological harm, traffic congestion, antisocial behaviour, and the cumulative impact of major events at both Gunnersbury Park and Brentford Community Stadium. The report notes that the event areas would occupy no more than 13 per cent of the park, that most of the site would remain open, and that noise limits have been reduced in the amended proposal. It also states that ecological impacts, heritage harm and public nuisance would be mitigated through conditions, licensing controls and the alternation of event arenas to allow ground recovery.

Supporters of the application argue that festivals bring cultural vibrancy, attract visitors from across London and beyond, and generate vital income for the park. They say the events have run smoothly in recent years and that long-term permission would allow the CIC to invest in infrastructure and reduce the administrative burden of repeated applications.

GPGERA insists it is not opposed to all events. It wants a “fair and sustainable balance” that protects wildlife, heritage assets and everyday park use while ensuring the park is properly funded. Their position is that fewer, better-managed event days, stricter limits on noise and fencing, and greater transparency over CIC finances would allow Gunnersbury Park to thrive without becoming dependent on ever-increasing commercial occupation.

The meeting will determine whether the council accepts the CIC’s argument that large-scale events are essential to the park’s future, or whether residents’ concerns about environmental impact and public access carry greater weight.