Secret Cinema Plan Gunnersbury Park Shows Next Month

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Up to 1,000 people could attend each event over six week period

Romeo and Juliet in Gunnersbury Park 2018. Picture: Secret Cinema

The Secret Cinema group have submitted revised planning and licensing applications for an event to be held in Gunnersbury Park starting next month. It potentially could become one of the first mass attendance events to be held in the country after lockdown.

Before the pandemic Secret Cinema had received approval for an immersive cinema event such as the one they have held previously in the park. They now want to hold a series of film screenings with bar facilities which would have a maximum audience of 1,000 as opposed to the 5,000 capacity for previous events. Unlike previously a variety of films will be shown rather than a single one for the duration of the occupation of the park.

Secret Cinema ran an immersive event in the park in 2018 with over 60,000 people attending 15 showings of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet. The say their events are aimed at ‘a loyal, hyper-engaged audience of culture seekers predominantly from the ABC1 demographic.’

The building up of the event structures is scheduled to take place between 10 July and 14 July with showings taking place from 15 July until 30 August. The structures would then be removed by 3 September. The shows would run for one extra day per week compared to the original application and there would be additional matinee shows on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

The application states that up to 1,000 people would be attending each event and that there is ample space in the 50,000sq m site to allow for social distancing.

In a covering letter the a Hounslow Borough planner they state that they have been working with the Gunnersbury Park events team, the council’s Safety Advisory Group and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to design an event that can take place under current guidance.

They recognise in their application that current legislation would prevent such mass gathering events as this but they are confident that these rules would be relaxed by 15 July. They acknowledge that if no such relaxation takes place then the events would not proceed.

Unlike the previous event, attendees will not be encouraged to take public transport and on site car parking will be provided. Ticket holders arriving at the site by private car will be directed to the Park gates at the Popes Lane/Lionel Road North junction then follow internal signage across the northern end the park to a temporary event car park adjacent to Capel Manor College. Ticket holders will exit onto Popes Lane by the existing exit to the car park while taxis will arrive by the Popes Lane Lionel Road entrance to collect passengers. At present the car park at the site is closed to visitors.

A Draft Review of audience arrangements for a temporary events venue presented with the application has been completely redacted so is not available for members of the public to read as has most of an Indicative Audience Dispersal Plan.

In their application they state, “ Gunnersbury Park provides an excellent location for this series of events – close enough to transport links and road network links but far enough away for us not to suffer from the associated noise from busy roads, and to minimise the disturbance to our nearest residential and business neighbours.”

The licensing application would enable them to sell alcohol from a number of bars within the fenced off area of the event.

In a statement Gunnersbury Park CIC said, "We are in advanced discussions with Secret Cinema, who were forced to cancel their scheduled summer event due to the lockdown. They have approached us about returning to Gunnersbury with a season of socially distanced, family-friendly cinema screenings in the park this summer. These shows would have audiences of only 20% the size of the original, scheduled event.

"We are very excited about the possibility of hosting this season at short notice as not only would this help our financial situation but we would be able to bring a safe, cultural offering to our community, at a time when there are very few opportunities for families to enjoy entertainment together outside the house. Secret Cinema have applied to Hounslow Council for planning and licensing approvals to hold the shows.

"We haven’t formally signed contracts with them yet but hope to do so very soon, and we will be holding consultations with local councillors and with local people about the details of the proposed season in the next few weeks."

Local resident Bela Cunha said, “In my opinion this is an ill-thought-out and totally irresponsible attempt to find some money from somewhere, with reckless disregard for the possible spread of the virus or the potential dire consequences for people's health.”

Cllr Katherine Dunne, Cabinet Member for Communities & Climate Emergency said, "Hounslow Council can confirm that a licensing application has been submitted for the Secret Cinema at Gunnersbury Park. It will go to a Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meeting and they will need to complete their risk assessment to show that they have taken proper social distancing into account.

"On the planning side of things, we have received an application for the Secret Cinema festival, similar to the one approved earlier this year, the difference being that the event would run for a slightly longer period - 15 July until 30 August, rather than 15 July to 16 August, as was originally approved. The extended dates are to allow for social distancing at the events, given that each event will have a much smaller capacity than normal.

"In terms of access to the site, this will be reviewed by council transport planners to ensure that the additional traffic will not harm the amenities of local residents.”

Residents’ groups believe that applications made during the lockdown period could be successfully challenged if the council has not taken adequate steps to publicise them as the government has advised. Hounslow Council is currently reviewing its licensing policy but the proposed new policy does not consider any change to the current arrangement in which residents are notified of applications which may affect them by a notice in the Chronicle and Informer or the Ealing Gazette. The law requires that such notices should be placed in ‘a newspaper in general circulation in the area’ and the Home Office have advised councils to use other media if this is not possible. Bela Cunha said, “I haven't seen a Gazette in ages and now's not the time to go in and out of shops looking for one!”

Cllr Dunne said, “We have consulted over 400 neighbouring properties by letter and will also be putting up site notices to notify residents and others about the amended proposal".

You can email any comments on the licensing application to Licensing@hounslow.gov.uk and on the planning application to planning@hounslow.gov.uk.