Residents' Group Raises Three New Gunnersbury Park Issues
Concern over road changes, Soho House Festival and conflicts of interest
This year’s festival saw performances by Basement Jaxx, Kaiser Chiefs, Honey Dijon and Soul II Soul. Picture: Soho House
July 9, 2026
Gunnersbury Park has become the centre of three overlapping public-interest issues, with residents raising concerns about road changes, governance and event enforcement, while both Ealing and Hounslow Councils insist their processes remain lawful, transparent and independent. The Gunnersbury Park Garden Estate Residents Association (GPGERA) says these developments together raise serious questions about how public money, public land and public decision-making are being used at a time when a major five-year events application for the park has yet to be determined.
The first issue concerns Ealing Council’s consultation on proposed road changes along Popes Lane. The council’s own material links the scheme to recurring problems caused by major events at Gunnersbury Park, including obstructive parking, bus disruption, congestion and safety risks. Residents argue that this creates an appearance of predetermination, suggesting that public roads are being redesigned around private event impacts before Hounslow Council has voted on the five-year application that would allow up to twenty-two major event days each year. Ealing Council rejects this interpretation, saying the Popes Lane consultation is entirely separate from Hounslow’s planning process and is focused on improving road safety, bus reliability, pedestrian access and drainage. The council says no decision has been taken and that it is seeking residents’ views until 26 July.
The second issue relates to governance. GPGERA says the decision on Gunnersbury Park’s commercial future is now overshadowed by concerns about councillor roles and family connections. Cllr Ajmer Grewal is listed as a trustee on the Gunnersbury Trust Board, while Hounslow’s public register records her as married to Cllr Pritam Grewal, Chair of the Planning Committee responsible for determining the events application. Residents say this creates an obvious appearance of conflict in a park run through a CIC established under a Teckal-style arrangement, where the councils act simultaneously as owner, overseer, funder and decision-maker. Hounslow Council says the planning process is legally independent from other council functions and governed by planning legislation, the Localism Act and the Members’ Code of Conduct. The council confirmed that Cllr Pritam Grewal “will not be in attendance whilst the application is being considered and determined,” and noted that both councils are required to appoint a councillor as a trustee of the Gunnersbury Trust.
The third issue concerns licensing enforcement following the recent Soho House Festival which featured acts such as Basement Jaxx, Kaiser Chiefs, Honey Dijon and Soul II Soul. Residents say the event demonstrated that new licence conditions mean little without proper oversight. They reported traffic chaos at park gates, no visible police presence on surrounding streets, nitrous oxide canisters dumped in residential areas, taxis and Ubers being directed only to the park, no visible toilet provision outside the event footprint, fire safety concerns involving electrical equipment in dry vegetation, event vehicles parked near mature trees, and excessive bass and vibration inside homes. They say these problems show that the issue is not Popes Lane itself but weak licensing enforcement and inadequate protection for residents, businesses, park users and heritage parkland. GPGERA has asked Hounslow Council to confirm who attended the site on 2 July, what checks were carried out and what action will be taken before further events are allowed.
Residents fear that public roads, public money and public parkland are being used to support private commercial events before the planning decision has even been made, while serious questions remain over conflicts of interest, predetermination, enforcement and loss of public access. A GPGERA spokesperson said residents support genuine road safety improvements but will not accept event-enabling changes being presented as a benefit while their objections to the five-year application remain unresolved.
Both councils maintain that their processes are separate and transparent. Hounslow says planning decisions are made independently and in accordance with law, while Ealing says its Popes Lane consultation is focused on safety and transport reliability rather than event facilitation. With the five-year events application still pending and the Popes Lane consultation ongoing, Gunnersbury Park remains at the centre of a complex debate about governance, transparency, public land and the future of major commercial events.
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