Finsbury Park gigs

rikki · July 2018

My impression is that this weekend has seen even more of the park sealed off from normal use, more huge oppressive fencing, and unless I've just been unlucky with wind direction, by far the loudest gigs to date?

Over an hour of Liam Gallagher's whining voice on Friday night was enough to put me off him - and this is a fair distance away up crouch hill.

I'm sure previous festivals haven't been quite as loud. Anyone concur?

-noodles- · July 2018

i’m wondering if it’s the wind direction? we’ve heard sporadic bursts across the weekend.
we went over to the park & sat near the children’s playground last night for an hour to listen iggy pop & the sound was pretty crap - not loud at all.

joust · July 2018

Ah let the kids have their fun

Scruffy · July 2018

They can shove "their fun" sideways up their tin-eared arses! Why can't "the kids" all wear wireless headphones so the reast of us don't have to be subjected to that noise pollution? Mindless savagery.

joust · July 2018

I quite enjoyed having a beer in the garden, listening to iggy pop playing yesterday afternoon.

I do use the park once or twice a day, so find the hoarding a bit annoying. But its how we pay for the park. Plus I like a bit of live music every now and then.

rikki · July 2018

hey, i don't want to come over all killjoy, but it does seem like each year the amount of park given up for private enterprise, plus the number of events, plus the volume, seems to be growing. and as far as i understand, campaign groups are not remotely happy with the level of public remuneration the council ploughs back into the area, let alone the park.

given ticket prices and numbers attending, we should be seeing huge improvements and better amenities.

Scruffy · July 2018

It wasn't how we payed for the park for about a century, so it needn't be the way we do it now.

grenners · July 2018

I bet there is a very nice relationship somewhere between event promoters and someone in the council. Lot of money to be made. All Haringey need to do is shove some of it back into the park and it would probably face a lot less resistance. For example, the boating lake is embarrassing, it looks like a swamp.

trainspotter · July 2018

I'm not convinced it was louder this year. Actually felt quieter in my garden so must have been blowing your way instead. The hoarding is annoying I agree. They've finally demolished my hated out of bounds playground 10 years on, presumably with gig money, so I am hoping for great things...

joust · July 2018

Here is how much they are charging this year. Page 4 has the cost for the big events.
http://www.haringey.gov.uk/sites/haringeygovuk/files/2018_-_19_fees_and_charges.pdf

These two articles seems to be saying that FP earns enough more than enough money to pay its own costs. But the council were stopped from using the excess to pay for other parks in Haringey. Which seems a bit shit.
http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/16122047.___Considerable_hole____in_budget_means_more_Haringey_parks_may_need_to_host_events/

https://www.thefriendsoffinsburypark.org.uk/finsbury-park/finsbury-park-events-haringey-council-in-breach-of-statutory-trust/

Ali · July 2018

I thought the music was quite good over the weekend. 135000 people attended had a good time, spent some money in small business in the area even that underground night club near Dictori was charging a £ to use the loo.
I thought it was remarkably clean this morning usually after a weekend outside the 12 Pins is littered with glass not this morning as I cycled buy.

trainspotter · July 2018

Ah well that's the trouble with ringfencing - you have to spend it on certain things, even when you have competing priorities for your money. There was a thread on this point a few weeks back. One point of detail though - the former Councillor quoted does not say that FP makes more money than it needs for its upkeep - just that it makes more than is currently spent there. As others have pointed out, there is plenty of room for investment in Finsbury Park. Whether it ought to be top of the Council's priority list is another matter but I personally have no problem prioritising it over other parks at least - we have to put up with the inconvenience of the events, after all, and it is clearly struggling at the moment. It's a shame as we went through a period where it seemed much improved compared to when I first moved to the neighbourhood, and we were seeing much greater enjoyment of the park as a result, but we seem to be backsliding. Security is the biggest issue I think.

joust · July 2018

FP seems pretty nicely kept, to me. Its always trimmed and tidied and updated. What more do you want to see there? A waterslide?

"...Parks Budget for 2016/2017 includes an income target for all events of £545,000…the events income has exceeded £750,000 for each of the previous two years"

Seems like they should be able to spend a lot more on it. But I would be just as happy to see a change in the law to allow the rest to be spent on other smaller parks in the area.

And I'd like to see the council actually following the law to make sure all the money is actually spent on the park(s).

CrouchPotato · July 2018

I don't object to this use of the park providing the money rolls back in to park facilities (the outdoor gym is very heavily used and in dire need of TLC) and the events are safe and well managed. I saw instances last week when I thought they overstepped the mark.

When constructing the high perimeter fencing by the oxford road bridge entrance they used heavy vehicles and lifting equipment with only a tiny barrier in between them and families passing by. The workman I spoke to said he was surprised that they were allowed to work in that way but their method statements and risk assessments had been signed off. Likewise, over the weekend they were running vehicles along the path between the cafe playground and the playground with the red climbing thingy which is a rat run for children going between. Why is that necessary when a road runs around the park? Final whinge, I brought my toddler to use the cafe toilets but they were all occupied by staff from the event. Does anyone know if the council have full time observers to make sure these organisations are behaving well?

trainspotter · July 2018

Aha well there is to be a waterslide there and I'm all in favour!

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/sunslideeventsltd/153451

But in all seriousness I would like to see the following:

- Timely litter clearance (very regrettable that this is needed but it is);
- Lighting/security to improve safety and reduce incidences of muggings and open drug dealing (this should be police budget really but if there's money sitting in an account somewhere then park-specific security would be better than nothing);
- Working and clean toilets;
- Something useful done with the abandoned building and surrounds near the Finsbury Park entrance and community use being made of the other building that seems to be the Friends of Finsbury Park clubhouse;
- Full community use being made of the extensive greenhouses near Manor House;
- A pond clearup wouldn't go amiss as highlighted above;
- Regular maintenance of playground and outdoor gym equipment (though am ambivalent about a full on replacement as has been proposed in recent consultation);
- Another gate and path near Sainsbury's but closure of the gates after dark;
- I'm not a fan of the road and car park areas and would prefer the whole park to be pedestrianised except in exceptional circumstances, but it appears I'm in a minority.

Fussy? Me?

CrouchPotato · July 2018

Just to speak up again for the gym....I have used it for a couple of years now I have seen how valuable it is for getting people active who might not otherwise have means to do so. It is used by an awful lot of people from all sections of the community, not just muscle lovers. It has been said that it is the most used gym of it's type in London and the equipment is proof of that. Most of it is needs replacing and it deserves an expansion because of the number of people it benefits. Not saying it is any more or less important that the other improvements trainspotter mentioned. Roll them all on!

Ali · July 2018

Interesting bit of history from 2012 which explains some of this.

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2012/jul/31/a-working-life-park-manager?

trainspotter · July 2018

Ah sorry Couchpotato - sloppy wording on my part. My ambivalence to replacement was with regards to the proposed replacement of the playground as I think there's some life left in it - I wasn't aware that there was also proposal to replace the outdoor gym but would be in favour of it if there is broken equipment - that was meant to be covered by my "regular maintenance" bullet. To my shame I don't go often so hadn't noticed the broken items but have noticed it gets busy. While we're about it the gym in the athletics pitch could do with a bit of love and could be a money-spinner for the Council. I think the whole park could just do with a bit of imaginative investment - it's not terrible but isn't fulfilling its true potential.

trainspotter · July 2018

Thanks @Ali. This seems to sum up my own observations from living here 2003-present. "Haringey's vital green lung, which had become a wilderness of drug dealing, cruising and vandalism, has now been reappropriated by families and leisure-seekers. This resurrection is Taylor's joy and his despair. "I feel a huge emotional attachment to this place after seeing it transformed," he says. "The biggest challenge, though, is future investment. "

Ali · July 2018

I read that Friend's of Finsbury Park lost their case at the Supreme Court to cap the number of times the park can be used for gigs. There is a rep if the Friend s claiming the biggest part of the Park is closed between May and October, not completely true. It is an article in today's Observer written I suspect by a local journo

joust · July 2018

Anyone have any issues during the Wireless this weekend?
Seemed pretty good, other than a few N2O cartridges everywhere.

Music sounded quite nice from the garden, in the sun, too.

trainspotter · July 2018

Is that what those were? My 6yo asked and I had no idea. Probably just as well!

joust · July 2018

Laughing gas. A cartridge is put in to a balloon and then you inhale/exhale a few times.

They are a legitimate food preparation tool, used to make whipped creams and such the like, as N2O is food safe.

It makes you a bit lightheaded and makes sound and vision go a bit wonky for a couple of minutes.

You will have had it as "gas an air" if you've had a baby (or if your Mrs had a baby and you wanted a go), or if you went to the dentist in the 80s or earlier.

libertyhall · July 2018

The events in the park have been the usual nightmare of noise anti-social behaviour and loss of the park - I wonder if Harringey’s new left wing administration will be as keen to help the promoters line their pockets while the rest suffer - and Hackney residents didn’t have say in choosing the Council who run the park they live next to.

libertyhall · July 2018

I also note that the friends of the park have raised concerns about the small amount of money that actually comes back to the Bourough may not be bieng spent on the park as required by law - more information on their website.

Ali · August 2018

It seems very quiet in the park today doesn't seem be getting used on such a nice day. There is retro silver (American Diner) ice cream parlour set up towards SSRisd in front of the rock garden. Seems like a film is being shot

poxy · August 2018

Is that the Sainsbury’s sponsored ice cream van? Pick a certain amount of litter and you can exchange it for a ice cream!

graystar · August 2018

It needs a litter clearance. Went to parkrun this morning, place has looked better. Bins overflowing then getting blown around.

Ali · August 2018

Your right there is loads of rubish. Loads of it at the Oxford Road Bridge just over the fence on the NR side of the fence. We used to have councilors and an MP who used to get that cleared up

grenners · August 2018

Was in park this morning thinking the same thing. Rubbish all over the place. I was also looking at some of the verges, bushes, flower beds etc. They are in a terrible state. Very low standard of maintainance, gardening, waste collection etc. Not acceptable considering revenue generated from the concerts.

Ali · August 2018

I wonder if any of our current Stroud Green counsellors have anything to say about this ?

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