A three-day Italian festival planned for Richmond Green has been rejected by Richmond upon Thames Council after residents raised 45 objections over noise, anti-social behaviour and disruption to cricket.
The Marzamemi Festival was due to bring Sicilian food, opera and family activities to the historic green, near Richmond Palace. Organiser Emily Ceraudo had described the event as suitable for families, food lovers and art and design enthusiasts.
Plans included pasta-making workshops, live opera, wood-fired pizza, arancini, a chef stage and a deli marquee. But opponents said a ticketed commercial event would be out of place on one of the country’s best-known public greens.
NC Coleman said it was “astonishing that anyone would even consider organising a ticketed commercial festival on the green”. Richard Young, 80, suggested Old Deer Park as an alternative venue and argued that proposed ticket prices of between £25 and £45 were contrary to “the spirit” of a space that had always been freely available to the public.
Residents living nearby also warned that amplified music could cause problems, saying they were unable to install double-glazed windows because their streets are listed.
One objector contrasted rugby and cricket crowds with the visitors they feared the festival would attract, claiming that people arriving by Tube could become heavily drunk. Concerns were also raised about the effect on the local cricket calendar.
Richmond Italian festival organisers offered concessions
Ms Ceraudo said the festival had attracted 2,800 people last year and was “very much family friendly”. She said it would finish at 8.30pm and was not led by alcohol or music, despite the event having explored the possibility of sponsorship by Aperol.
She had reduced the area occupied by the festival from 40 per cent to 38 per cent of the green in an attempt to allow cricket matches to continue. However, teams associated with The Cricketers and The Prince’s Head pubs, along with local residents, argued that games would still not be possible.
The organiser also proposed an 8.30pm finish on Friday and Saturday, with the event ending at 6.30pm on Sunday. Acoustic monitors were offered near nearby mid-Georgian and 17th-century homes.
Those changes failed to win the support of the Richmond Society, the Friends of Richmond Green or the council’s licensing committee.
The objections came against a backdrop of police issuing dispersal orders during the year, including around Halloween, to address concerns involving drugs, drinking and fireworks.
However, opposition was not unanimous. Sara Scarrow, 27, said she understood that some festivals could become “really crazy”, but believed the Marzamemi Festival sounded like a “really nice” local event.
Longtime resident Tara Stevens also supported the application, saying families often had to travel to other boroughs or outside London for activities such as pasta-making classes and opera performances.
“I mean come on, what could be more Richmond than opera performances on the green?” she said.
Ms Stevens also pointed to the annual Richmond May Ball, which is held on the green until 1am, attracts more than 450 guests and includes a champagne reception. Tickets for the charity gala cost £200.
