Party on Primrose Hill over Easter weekend

PRIMROSE Hill is to be shut at night over the weekend in what is being seen as a u-turn decision following months of complaints about anti-social behaviour.

The Royal Park is the only one to be open to the public 24 hours a day and has remained so since the 1970s, however problems with unlicensed music events (UMEs), drugs, littering and violence since the first lockdown have caused residents in the area to plead for its closure.

And a petition calling for the park to be gated was set up last week, after the bank holiday saw thousands of people flock to the area despite coronavirus rules, with hundreds attending an illegal party on Easter Sunday, quickly gathered over 450 signatures.

One video of the revellers that was shared on social media – mainly without masks and dancing with their arms around each other – provoked a torrent of angry comments online with Camden’s head of police, Chief Superintendent Raj Kohli, called the behaviour “selfish”.

Despite this, The Royal Parks manager Nick Biddle continued to say that gates would be too costly and would not work in deterring partygoers.

Ch Supt Kohli and his head of neighbourhood policing Superintendent Dominic Barnes said they were putting an action plan together on how to tackle problems on the hill.

But yesterday (Thursday), a decision was taken between Parks Police and the Met Police to close the park from 10pm on Friday and Saturday night.

Residents have been saying “enough is enough” for months

Inspector Richard Berns of Camden Police wrote in an email to residents: “I have just got off a conference call with my counterparts in the Parks Police. The park will be closed at 22:00 this weekend and we will be helping to clear it.

“This will still be a resource intensive challenge but we feel it is necessary due to this being the last weekend before much of the hospitality industry reopens.”

Inspector Berns has said the closure of the park will be done through signage and the presence of officers in the park who will be speaking to people to ask them to leave.

However, in the absence of gates the park will remain physically open.

Officers will not remain posted in the park throughout the night, and it will still be down to the emergency response units on both nights to attend any reports of anti-social behaviour.

It is claimed the change of strategy came after pressure from residents and MP Keir Starmer’s office which has been inundated with correspondence from its constituents on the issue.

Littering, drug use and public urination are also issues in the park

MP Keir Starmer’s office wrote to residents with the “good news”, and said: “Obviously this remains a short term fix, and this office is working with Camden Council to co-ordinate further approaches to the Royal Parks for viable medium and long-term solutions.

“I also hope to arrange an opportunity for Keir to hear from the community directly just as soon as his schedule permits.”

The Royal Parks manager Nick Biddle has said he believes the issues seen in the last year will lessen as lockdown eases and pubs and nightclubs, and other forms of entertainment, reopen.

A Royal Parks’ spokesperson, said: “This is a short-term solution to deal with the persistent anti-social behaviour and disruption to the local neighbourhood that we have witnessed since lockdown rules have begun to be lifted. This is reflective of behaviour that has been taking place across London and the country’s open spaces at a time when all leisure venues remain closed.

“Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Royal Parks unit will conduct a number of high visible patrols in Primrose Hill to stop people from gathering when the park is closed and to disperse crowds.”