‘Deeply offensive’: Hackney residents hit out at council plans for events in Abney Park Cemetery

Abney Park Chapel at dawn. Photograph: Haydn Schaare / Abney Park Trust

Residents are “appalled” by council plans to rent out a former mortuary chapel for events – fearing they will ruin the tranquility of the last resting place of thousands of Londoners.

Hackney Council wants a licence so it can hold events at the restored chapel at Abney Park in Stoke Newington to help pay for its care.

Abney Park Cemetery is one of the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’ commercial cemeteries which opened on the outskirts of London in the nineteenth century.

It is the final resting of dissenters, campaigners for the abolition of slavery and music hall artists, including George Leybourne, who was better known as ‘Champagne Charlie’ after his hit song.

The licensing application follows the renovation of the former mortuary chapel, which is Grade II-listed.

The council won £4.4m National Lottery funding and put in £710,000 to restore the former mortuary, which was on a heritage at risk register, and the rest of the cemetery.

The council is asking for a licence so it can provide alcohol between 11am and 11.59pm, Monday to Sunday, along with permission for a range of activities including films, plays, performance of dancing, live and recorded music between 9am and 11.59pm.

Objectors wrote to Hackney’s licensing committee saying they value the peace and quiet there.

One resident said the nature reserve, which was created in 1993, is “a place for peace and reflection”.

They added: “There are way fewer spaces to connect with nature, find peace and attend to wellbeing, than there are venues for socialising with alcohol.”

Others raised concerns about wildlife in the cemetery, which is also a nature reserve.

One objector wrote: “Noise and disturbance could have a serious detrimental impact on wildlife and particularly birdlife of which Abney is an oasis in Central London.”

They suggested limiting events to one a week to “offer not only nearby residents but also the wildlife adequate respite.”

A Lordship Grove resident said: “It is a place for connection with our ancestors, with the natural world, and with our shared humanity.

“This is a place of respect, reflection, contemplation and education.”

The council hopes that private events there for up to 80 people will raise income to help pay maintenance costs.

It said security staff will be there for any events where alcohol is served and any after 4pm.

One resident who overlooks the cemetery wrote to the licensing department: “I am appalled to hear what is being proposed regarding music and alcohol in the cemetery.”

They said “this is a cemetery, not a music venue”.

“I find this deeply offensive as this is a place to show respect to people who have died, not to get drunk and party.”

Tom Walker, chair of Abney Park Trust, a volunteer-run charity that looks after the park, said: “The Trust has worked closely with Hackney Council on the restoration of the park.

“We think the ability to hold appropriate licensed events will enable the Trust to continue and grow our calendar of events.

“We have asked the council to develop a broader set of policies to ensure that events are appropriate (both individually and cumulatively) and have no detrimental impact on the ecology of the park.

“We have also asked the council to take proper ecological advice on the impact of events and to develop a management plan for the park.”

The council events team’s application said the Town Hall will not take bookings for any “inappropriate or concerning events” and its events team would cancel anything “if we believe the content not to be suitable”.

It said it will close events early if there is “any disorder”.

It estimated that a maximum of two or three events per week in the summer would run beyond 5pm.

Another resident said the long hours the council has asked for could cause public nuisance.

They said extended licensing hours were “inappropriate” in the cemetery where “people will be attending to commune in peace with their dead relatives and friends”.

They also feared the risk to public safety, with people getting access to the cemetery after dark.

The resident wrote: “During the hours of darkness the risk of crime in the area will be increased as most of the cemetery is unlit and the undesirable elements will be able to continue their activities for extended hours.”

Residents also suggested a noise limit of 85 decibels to keep the volume down.

The council’s licensing application said it has a limit of 93 decibels and said whilst it was not likely to be a popular venue for music performances because of the cost and the small capacity.

It also said drinks would only be allowed outside near the chapel during the daytime and the nearby war memorial would be off limits.

Cllr Alastair Binnie-Lubbock (Green, Hackney Downs) has concerns about “the potential damage to biodiversity”.

He said: “It is a metropolitan site of importance for nature conservation, meaning that it is one of the most important sites for biodiversity in London. Abney Park is home to many nocturnal creatures including bats and until recently owls.”

He raised concerns about the request to supply alcohol up to seven days a week “until a late hour more appropriate to a bar or a pub” and said the “rare oasis of tranquility” could also be disturbed by daytime events.