We are writing on behalf of the Friends of Bute Park committee and Friends’ members who have expressed concerns about the events planned for Blackweir Fields which are scheduled to take place during June and July of this year.
We are concerned about many issues, beginning with the fact that there was no public consultation about staging the event on fields which belong to the people of Cardiff, and the people of Cardiff being denied access to vast swathes of Cardiff’s beautiful parkland for a large part of the summer.
In the early Autumn it was suggested that the Council were considering holding an event on Blackweir Fields; no further details were given, and nothing more was mentioned until the Council’s Comms team issued a press release on 29th October which announced the events – but also stated that the Friends of Bute Park and the traders in Bute Park had been consulted; this was untrue; we heard about what the ‘events’ were to be in that announcement.
Yet on March 27th in an answer to a question raised in the Council Chamber, Councillor Burke reiterated the assertion that the Friends of Bute Park had been ‘engaged throughout the process’ and had been ‘meeting officers on a regular basis as part of the process’. For clarification, The Friends met with Council Officers (21st January) for an update, although there was not much more information to be gathered other than what was in the Council’s Q&A, and, later, in a walkaround meeting described below.
It is reported that, in a meeting with Council officers in December, it was ‘agreed that the Council had not been able to consult or inform residents as they should have done due to pressure to sign (the) contract quickly’. This suggests that the Council is willing to bow to the demands of commercial promoters.
The press release also stated that large events had previously been held at Blackweir, including the Eisteddfod, but that was actually held in Pontcanna Fields in 2008. Likewise, the X Music Festival and KissStory both took place in Coopers Field and not Blackweir Fields. However, given the size of Pontcanna Fields, the lesser amount of disruption to the cricket community, and the existing road access which would not necessitate the felling of any trees, many people are wondering why Pontcanna wasn’t preferred.
Councillor Burke suggests that Blackweir Fields was needed to ‘fill the gap’ between The Principality Stadium and the Utilita Arena – Cardiff City Stadium is the right size to fill that gap (capacity 33,280 seated, not including the pitch area). Had this option been considered Blackweir Fields could have been left alone.
Blackweir Fields will be closed in whole or part, for a large part of the summer, to accommodate the build (three weeks before the first concert) and to allow access to traders, and then closed entirely (except for those holding tickets) during the events. Temporary roadways are to be laid, bridges installed and the grass (and pitches) will inevitably suffer damage, even if only due to being covered for a long period.
Coopers Field will also have limited access due to scheduled events throughout the summer, and there will be even more limited access to Cardiff Castle for half of June, the entirety of July and, presumably, almost all of August (Tom Jones is performing there on 20th and 21st August).
When enquiries were made about the tree felling, the response was that it was based on an independent ecologist’s recommendation to remove trees posing a public safety risk, irrespective of Blackweir Live. However, the plans on the event organizers’ website reveal that the cleared sites align precisely with the locations for the new bridge access for the event. The plans for the footbridges were made apparent via the promoter’s and Oxfam’s website.
During the recent walkaround with officers from the Parks and Events team it became clear that the ecologist was primarily tasked with identifying locations for the 6-8 new access bridges for the concert, rather than conducting conservation work. The ecologist was not asked to assess which trees needed felling for safety reasons but was instead focused on finding sites for the bridges. While the trees may have shown signs of ash dieback, most could have been left as standing deadwood since they did not pose a risk to the public. The Officers present did not want to, or were unable to, explain the construction of the proposed footbridges, as that was in the remit of the engineers. And nobody wanted to respond to ‘Why hold it here at all?’
Similarly, the removal of invasive species like rhododendron has been limited to the immediate bridge sites, with areas between the proposed bridges remaining overgrown. This approach seems futile from a conservation standpoint. Furthermore, Councillor Burke confirmed that the concert organisers funded these works.
If these actions genuinely constitute conservation work within a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC), why has there been no replanting? Why was the dead wood initially removed until the issue was raised, leading to the subsequent creation of habitat piles?
We are not opposed to the use of parkland for commercial events; they have taken place for many years and we do not aspire to live in Councillor Burke’s ‘undisrupted utopia’… However, we do think that the addition of Blackweir Live to the crowded summer events programme is tipping the balance the wrong way.
We believe that if there had been public consultation regarding Blackweir Live and the people of Cardiff had been asked these questions:
- Should concerts for up to 35000 people be licensed for Blackweir Fields?
- Should mature trees (many healthy trees included) be cut down to accommodate 6/7/8 temporary footbridges from North Road?
- Should the North Road cycle lanes be obstructed/closed during June and July?
- Should exceptionally loud music events be allowed in very close proximity to the elderly residents of Nazareth House and Hope Court?
- Should events generating exceptional noise and light volumes be allowed to take place alongside semi ancient woodland, home to many bat species?
- Should the public be denied access to Blackweir Fields for leisure and sporting activities to enable commercial activities?
….the answers would have been No, No, No, No, No and No.
The Friends of Bute Park April 2025