Residents living near one of London's most iconic viewpoints have expressed outrage after authorities erected solid, dark green hoarding in an unprecedented move to lock down the park for New Year's Eve.
An 'Unprecedented' Closure Sparks Local Anger
Primrose Hill in Camden, famed for its panoramic views across the capital, has been completely shut to the public from 8pm on Tuesday 30 December until 6am on New Year's Day. The drastic measure, involving both solid hoarding and temporary fencing, aims to prevent crowds gathering to watch the Mayor of London's fireworks display.
The decision has provoked a fierce backlash from the local community. Amy McKeown, a member of the volunteer group Primrose Hill Keepers, told the Press Association she had left the area to celebrate elsewhere, branding the barriers "too grotesque to see".
"The park has never been closed like this. This is completely unprecedented," Ms McKeown stated. "This is a public park where people should be able to come to watch the fireworks. This is exactly what we should be encouraging people to do."
Safety Concerns and Policing Changes Behind the Decision
The Royal Parks charity, which manages the site, said the closure was not taken lightly. It follows a tragic incident on New Year's Eve 2023, when 16-year-old Harry Pitman was fatally stabbed on the hill. Areece Lloyd-Hall, 18, was later jailed for a minimum of 16 years for his murder.
The charity also cited diminished crowd management capacity, partly due to the disbanding of the Metropolitan Police's Royal Parks Operational Command Unit in November. However, the Met has contested this link. A police spokesperson clarified that the closure decision was made by The Royal Parks, not police, and noted that the disbanded team's officers constituted just 15 of over 145 officers deployed to the hill last New Year's Eve.
"It is not accurate to suggest the decision was necessary as a result of the disbanding of the Royal Parks policing team," the force's statement read.
Community Backlash and Business Impact
Long-term resident Catherine Usiskin, who has lived in Primrose Hill for over 40 years, criticised the fencing as "an overreaction" and "ridiculous". She warned the closure would harm local restaurants and pubs, and predicted people would still attempt to scale the barriers.
Ms McKeown compared the hoarding to festival barriers used at Glastonbury, arguing that the 2024 celebrations were successfully policed without incident. "We have gone from an open event to a huge amount of resource being used to keep people out of the park," she said.
Commander Nick John, leading the Met's New Year's Eve policing, urged the public to heed the closure: "The Royal Parks are urging people not to try to gather at Primrose Hill this year and we would echo those calls. Please make alternative plans." Scotland Yard confirmed a police presence would remain in the area to "respond to criminality", but stated preventing access was not its responsibility.
The Royal Parks charity declined to comment further on the mounting local criticism.
