A music festival in Croydon has been given the green light to go ahead despite objections from neighbours over noise and drunk people.

On May 21, Croydon Council's licensing committee considered plans for Family Fun Day and Music Festival in Norbury Park on August 3 and 4.

Jamaica Basic Schools Foundation applied for a licence to host the event for the second year in a row.

The committee was set on deciding by May 29, and chairwoman Cllr Patsy Cummings, and members Cllr Danielle Denton, and Cllr Margaret Bird have agreed to let the event go on.

The Friends of Norbury Park group had objected to the festival, calling the event a “real nuisance” to the residents who live there.

The objectors Jenni Rodgers and Lisa Patient also said there had been a lot of “aggression” from people who attended the festival and parked outside residents’ homes in 2023.

They pressed for proper signage directing cars to the public car park should the event go ahead.

They also claimed that the event continued until after midnight last year despite being advertised to end at 9pm.

The applicant, Josephine Williams-Brown, disagreed with the objections made by the Friends of Norbury, telling them to “object with real objections”.

She promised to abide by “whatever rules the council and the police” give them.

Ms Williams-Brown added: “It has always been my intention to abide by those rules and make sure that the people are not disturbed to a significant amount.”

She also understood that there would naturally be a “little disturbance.”

This will be the 29th year that Ms Williams-Brown hosts the event, but Ms Patient said that supervision had been “inadequate” when the event took place at Norbury Park last year.

Ms Patient said that lorries carrying large equipment arrived at 2am last year to set up, which “woke up the entire neighbourhood”.

Ms Williams-Brown denied this and promised that her team would begin setting up no earlier than 8am this year.

The Friends of Norbury Park group said that cleaning up was insufficient and it was up to their volunteers to clear up last year.

Cllr Danielle Denton said that cleaning up the area would be crucial given the danger of glass bottles, especially when people are intoxicated. 

Ms Williams-Brown promised to go “beyond the call of duty to clear up” and promised there will be “extra security this year” as it is a two-day event.

Between 40 and 50 Service Industry Authority (SIA) bodies will be at the event to check bags.

The council is currently unable to comment due to the purdah pre-election period.