Westminster Council met on Friday (17 February) to discuss proposed changes to the park’s concert license, after an increased number of resident complaints. The changes proposed by the council’s environmental health team included noise level reductions, reduced audience capacity and a cut to the number of concerts per year in the park.
But in measures more lenient than feared, the maximum sound level will not be reduced. Instead, measures to monitor and reduce low-level bass sound will be introduced immediately and a review conducted later this year. Improved provisions for safety and cleaning up after concerts are also effective immediately.
Live Nation, organiser of this summer’s Celebration Concerts and London Live sites,
John Probyn, chief operating officer of Live Nation said: "Live Nation is delighted with the outcome of the meeting. This is good news for the thousands of Londoners and visitors from overseas enjoying all concerts we have in place and also the London 2012 events in Hyde Park this summer," he said.
"We have listened to the concerns of the residents and will continue to do so while working closely with Westminster council and The Royal Parks."
The council's decision means that from 2013, the number of concerts permitted per year in the park will be reduced from 13 to nine, more than the proposed figure of six. The number of attendees at events in the park will be reduced from 80,000 to 65,000 and in some cases 50,000.
Audrey Lewis, licensing chairman of Westminster Council said: "Legally, as central London’s licensing authority, we have a duty to balance the needs of local residents with the desire of concert organisers to hold events and the compromise that the committee has reached does all of this."
"We will monitor the additional noise control measures and continue to work with both concert organisers and residents to ensure this is an effective solution to concerns raised."
Westminster Council said it received 109 complaints from residents living near the park in 2011, an increase of 40 on the year before and almost double the number in 2008.
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