A POPULAR beauty spot where thousands gather to watch fireworks and see in the New Year will be closed over public safety concerns.
The gates will be locked to the park from 8pm on December 31st, until 6am on New Year’s Day.
The 2024 New Year celebration fireworks viewed from a packed Primrose Hill parkCredit: Iuli Snaps/pictureexclusive.com
The gates to Primrose Hill in Camden this New Year’s Eve will be lockedCredit: Alamy
This is after cops announced they were stopping Royal Parks police to save finances amid spending cuts.
Last year an estimated 30,000 people gathered at to Primrose Hill in Camden – which has brilliant panoramic views of the city – to see in the New Year.
But this fun tradition for some is now a thing of the past.
Concerns had been raised about the safety of celebrations at the park.
This was after 16-year-old Harry Pitman was fatally stabbed there during the New Year’s Eve fireworks viewing in 2023.
Areece Lloyd-Hall, 18, was jailed for a minimum of 16 years for the grim killing at the celebratory event.
A spokesperson for The Royal Parks charity, which manages Primrose Hill, said the decision to shut for New Year’s Eve was “not taken lightly”.
They added that as it was not an organised event, but a gathering in open parkland, it had “limited controls that we can deploy to ensure public safety”.
Met Police said it was “not accurate to suggest” the decision to shut Primrose Hill was necessary because the Royal Parks policing team was disbanded.
A force spokesperson said the decision to close the park was taken by the Royal Parks, not the police.
“Officers from that team made up just 15 of the more than 145 officers who were deployed to Primrose Hill on New Year’s Eve last year.
“This is similar to the makeup of deployments in previous years,” they said.
Commander Nick John, who is in charge of the Met’s New Year’s Eve policing, said: “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. Anyone trying to access the park will find that it is not possible.”
Elsewhere the force urged people to plan their travel into and out of and head to organised events where possible.
People have also been warned not to try to go to the Mayor of London‘s fireworks event, centred around the London Eye and Big Ben, as tickets have sold out.
Commander John said New Year’s Eve was “always one of the busiest nights of the year for us” which involved months of planning.
A vigil for 16-year-old Harry Pitman who died after being stabbed New Year’s Eve at Primrose Hill in CamdenCredit: PA
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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