Junction2 Faces Opposition to its Licence Application

Annual festival planning a return to Boston Manor Park next summer

A previous Junction2 Festival under the M4

December 6, 2022

Some Brentford residents are asking the council to stop the Junction2 music festival from returning to a “quaint and peaceful park” next summer.

After a four-year break from partygoers “dropping rubbish” and “shouting in the streets and peeing on garage doors”, people living in the area fear excited revellers will return to their streets once again.

Junction2 has confirmed their dance music festival is returning to Boston Manor Park, in Brentford, next year in July. The park, which sits below the M4, is popular with locals for its meadows and playgrounds.

The festival, which attracts thousands of electronic music fans, was first launched in 2016 at the park. But, due to Covid and redevelopment works, the event has not been held since 2019.

Ahead of the festival, organisers have asked Hounslow Council to allow them to sell alcohol from midday until 10.15pm, they have also asked to play live music from midday to 10.30pm. Up to 15,000 are expected to attend with the festival finishing at 11pm.

In response, locals have shared their concerns and objections with Hounslow Council in response to the licence application. One resident, who lives in Boston Gardens, said, “I am a resident and do not want the noise, rubbish and overcrowding that this event brings.

“Every time this event has been held it has turned the whole neighbourhood into a no go zone. Roads are closed, the park is off limits to regular users and apart from noise pollution the mess and damage that is left afterwards is disgraceful.”

Another Boston Gardens resident added, “I am one of the people most affected by that horrid event. I have lived here since 2003 and the years the event took place, I recall as a horrendous, very difficult and unpleasant experience.”

Another person living on the same road has told the council that they have had to call the police in previous years. They said, “The last event was terrifying. Attendees tried to enter the event by using our side entrances into the Gunnersbury Private Playing Fields. I had to call the police.

“These events are not suitable anywhere near our property as there is no logical way of controlling such crowds as entry and exit can be through our property unless we are boarded up completely which would be impossible.”

A person who lives on The Ride said that festival goers have, in the past, been a nuisance for residents. They said, “With little regard for residents, people urinated against our garden walls, fences and garages, dropped litter outside houses or tossed it into gardens, pushed their way past others bumped into parked cars. Of course, not all festival goers behave badly but the festival days were tense and upsetting for everyone.”

Other locals have expressed concerns that the wildlife will be negatively impacted. One person said, “I feel it would be unfair to subject them to even more disruption and noise with the Junction 2 event, and I am sure they will be petrified as noise covers long distances.

“I am not against people enjoying themselves at raves, but I think Boston Manor Park is an inappropriate place to be holding such events, it would be better held on concrete wasteland.”

A letter, written by solicitors on behalf of Junction2 organisers, said, “Our clients are fully committed to engaging with local residents across all of the issues that have been raised. That has included a stakeholder meeting at which our clients met representatives of the Friends of Boston Manor, the assistant Natural Parks manager, the parks developer manager and the Historic Houses manager, as well some of the local ward councillors.”

Under the proposed licence, alcohol consumption will be monitored by bar staff and security staff, with all bars banned by supervisors. A qualified and Noise Management Consultant will be appointed to monitor sound throughout the event, and residents will receive notification of the event beforehand.

Hounslow Council’s Licensing Panel will decide whether to grant a premises licence for Junction2 on Tuesday, 6 December.

The agenda for the meeting along with links to documents containing objectors' comments is on this link.

Megan Stanley - Local Democracy Reporter