Gunnersbury Park Finally Gets Blanket Events Approval
Councillors approve amended application after deferring decision
Events with up to 30,000 attendees now have permission for the next five years
September 4, 2026
As widely expected, Hounslow Council has finally approved the revised five-year programme of large commercial events at Gunnersbury Park, bringing to an end a fraught and often bitter process that some residents say has left public confidence badly damaged.
The decision, at a meeting of the Planning committee this Thursday evening (3 September), followed an earlier deferral on 6 August, when councillors asked the Gunnersbury Park & Museum CIC to reduce the scale of its original proposal.
The CIC returned with a trimmed-down plan, cutting live event days from 22 to 19 and occupation days from 118 to 115, and reducing the number of the largest Band 1 events from ten to nine. Planning officers recommended approval, arguing that the changes were sufficient to balance public access, heritage protection and the park’s financial needs.
Because the September meeting was technically a continuation of the August session, no further contributions from outside the committee were permitted. Residents, ward councillors and community groups were unable to address the committee, and almost 500 previously submitted objections were not revisited. The absence of public contributions meant the meeting was far shorter than the August debate, concluding in just over an hour.
Eight councillors voted in favour of the revised scheme, while Conservative councillors Nagi and De Sa opposed it. Councillor Grewal raised his hand to vote against, though his vote was not recorded. Councillor Tony Louki, the Labour party Chief Whip, who had argued against the proposal and proposed the deferral, abstained, as did Reform councillor Page. The committee did agree unanimously to add a condition requiring greater community involvement, including transparency over the number of free tickets allocated to local residents.
For many residents, the manner of the decision has proved as contentious as the events themselves. The Gunnersbury Park Garden Estate Residents’ Association had already warned that trust in the planning process was “reaching breaking point”, citing four rounds of consultation, late letters, restricted speaking rights and the exclusion of hundreds of objections. They argued that the pattern had become unmistakable: the applicant receives another revision, residents receive another deadline. After the vote, Cllr Joanna Biddolph, who represents Chiswick Gunnersbury, described the process as a “stitch-up”, saying that some of those on the committee might have been unaware that deferral would prevent objectors and ward councillors from speaking on the revised application.
The CIC maintains that the amendments are proportionate and necessary to secure vital commercial income. It has emphasised that commercial activity now accounts for more than two-thirds of its income, with council funding down to around twenty per cent and expected to fall further. The organisation says the approval will give it the confidence to plan a varied programme of events and invest in the park’s future.
The decision leaves unresolved questions that have dominated the debate for months, including the Rothschild Restrictive Covenant, noise thresholds significantly higher than those used in Hyde Park, and calls for full financial transparency. Residents have also pointed to the condition of several historic buildings within the CIC’s lease, including Potomac Tower, and discrepancies in the CIC’s own statements about heritage costs. Observers noted that Labour councillors were not whipped during the August vote, but some believe they may have been expected to support the revised proposal this time, a perception likely to fuel further criticism of the process.
With permission now granted, Gunnersbury Park will be able to host major commercial events from 2027 to 2031 with attendances of up to 30,000 people.
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