The Living Museum and the Brockwell Park debate
I’ve been reflecting on the debate around Brockwell Park. Perhaps because I’ve spent my entire life in this community and have seen it from a number of different angles: through …
Black News 
I’ve been reflecting on the debate around Brockwell Park.
Perhaps because I’ve spent my entire life in this community and have seen it from a number of different angles: through music, community events, local history, civic life and a long-standing interest in the ecology of South London.
The more I think about it, the more I realise this isn’t really a debate about festivals.
It’s a debate about purpose.
When Brockwell Park was preserved in the nineteenth century, South London was overcrowded, polluted and rapidly expanding.
People fought to save the land because they understood something simple.
Human beings need somewhere to breathe.
Fresh air.
Open space.
Relief from the pressures of the city.
That was the purpose of the park.
More than a century later, that purpose feels just as important.
Especially now.
What many people don’t realise is that Brockwell Park is not simply a field with a few trees. It is a living ecological system.
A home to birds, bats, pollinators, mature trees, ponds and habitats that have developed over generations. It is also one of the most important public green spaces in South London.
I’ve also spent part of my life helping create festivals.
I know the joy they bring.
I know the value of music and culture.
I know what it means to see thousands of people come together and celebrate.
So when people say, “Look how happy everyone is,” I understand exactly what they mean.
But happiness alone doesn’t answer the question.
The deeper question is whether a public commons is slowly being transformed into commercial event infrastructure.
That isn’t an accusation.
It’s a question.
How much access should people lose to a public park?
How much ecological pressure is acceptable?
How much commercial activity is compatible with the original purpose of the space?
Who benefits?
Who bears the costs?
And does the community remain the primary beneficiary of a park that previous generations fought so hard to preserve?
I’m not asking people to agree with me.
I’m asking whether we’re asking the right questions.
Because Brockwell Park was not saved because South London needed another venue.
It was saved because South London needed somewhere that wasn’t one.
