Festival Taskforce Established as Dates For Parklife 2015 Announced

Manchester City Council and event organisers have announced that the Parklife Weekender 2015 will take place in Heaton Park on the 6th and 7th of June. And, responding to legitimate concerns expressed from within the local community, the City Council and organisers have set up a new taskforce to directly manage the issues surrounding the large festivals that the park is hosting.

Although last year's Parklife was a successful event enjoyed by over 135,000 fans, a great deal of effort has been put into trying to ensure that problems caused by previous festivals will not happen again.

Following an extensive review of last year's festival, a dedicated Community Impact Taskforce – inspired by similar operations at Glastonbury and other leading festivals – has been set up to prepare for this year’s Parklife event and to support the effective management of people to and from the area over the weekend.

The taskforce, which consists of representatives from Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Police and the festival organisers - supported by the neighbouring local authorities - will be in charge of implementing additional security measures aimed at curbing crime and anti-social behaviour in areas surrounding the park

The group will also look into enhancing existing arrangements to improve cleaning, parking and noise management, and make sure there are effective travel arrangements in place to minimise disruption to residents, including putting an effective taxi operation in place to support the Metrolink and the Parklife Express shuttle bus services.

A separate taskforce control centre will be created to coordinate operations and to communicate with local residents and businesses through the duration of the festival.

The taskforce will also review how local businesses can benefit from the festival as well as how the local community can benefit from educational, employment and volunteering opportunities, such as arranging visits to the festival site by schools and colleges before the event.

Other measures are also in the developement process including investing in ground drainage to make sure the park recovers quickly following large events.

Councillor Rosa Battle, executive member for Culture and Leisure said: "Parklife is a predominantly safe and successful music event enjoyed by the majority of people who attend. We have listened to the local community and understand there are issues and concerns, which is why following our review of Parklife that we decided to set up this taskforce. We have also met with Bury councillors to discuss their concerns of the impact that this type of event has on the local community. We believe that the revised approach that we are taking will tackle many of the issues highlighted and address the concerns expressed within the community.

"We continue to learn lessons from the staging of these events and we are not complacent. The partnership work between the local authorities – including Bury Council - the festival organisers and other agencies such as Greater Manchester Police and Transport for Greater Manchester is focused on delivering the improvements required to make this one of the best-run festivals in the country. This taskforce will strengthen the process and mechanisms that we already have in place to make that happen. We recognise how important it is to get this right – and the impact that it has on the local area and community, both positive and negative.

"Staging events like Parklife in Heaton Park have enormous reputational and financial benefits for both the park and the surrounding areas with a direct benefit from the income generated which supports the year round operation of the park as well as the infrastructure investment that drives improvements to the facilities for the ongoing benefit of everyone."

Parklife has a noticable economic impact within the region, creating both permanent and temporary employment, employing over 3,000 staff, as well as sustainable investment into the local economy with a spend of £1.65m with suppliers throughout Greater Manchester, in addition to benefitting the hotel, transport, food, retail and charity sectors.

Parklife event director Jon Drape said: "Parklife Festival values the views of the local community and takes on board the feedback from last year. Through setting up the Community Impact Taskforce and working closely with the Local Authorities and Greater Manchester Police, Parklife Festival aims to strengthen its relationship with the surrounding area and minimise any potential negative impact from the festival, as well as generating greater benefits to local businesses, colleges and charities."

Chief Superintendent John O’Hare said: " This is a new opportunity for Greater Manchester Police and partners to deal with any anti-social behaviour before, during and after the event.

"This is in response to concerns expressed to us by local residents following previous festivals and concerts held in Heaton Park. It is a chance for us to work closely with the community and offer them a direct line of communication with both the police and and the relevant council.

"This new model allows us to respond more effectively to issues and concerns arising as a result of the event, and will hopefully improve the experience for both the local residents and festival goers."