The car park at Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath is closed to everyone except Blue Badge holders during the Halloween at Kenwood event between October 17 and November 2.
In a letter to the Ham & High, user Robert Prevezer said the closure – in which the car park has been given over to storage and office space for the exhibition – has affected lovers of the stately home as well as dog walkers, parents, and leisure visitors.
He wrote: “Since it is nigh impossible to park on Hampstead Lane, where are visitors to Kenwood supposed to park?
“Unfortunately this is a crazy decision made with no thought at all – except presumably to generate revenue to the Halloween exhibition – at the expense of car parking, cafe and house admission revenues.
“English Heritage should perhaps put everyday users of Kenwood first.
Mr Prevezer also wrote to English Heritage’s chief executive, Geoff Parkin, complaining about the closure and “distasteful” Halloween display.
He wrote: “The exhibition seems to consist of the distribution of multiple rusty coffins, numerous skeletons and headstones surrounding Kenwood House – previously an elegant and beautiful tourist attraction. It is a wholly inappropriate exhibition, which entirely spoils the previously stunning landscape and grounds.”
He described the car park closer as “a completely self-defeating exercise” if the intention was to increase EH revenues derived from the exhibition.
He added: “The closure of the car park is utterly stupid – not only does it prevent visitors coming to Kenwood (all of the roads around Kenwood have strict yellow line parking restrictions), but it deprives English Heritage from revenue derived from car park fees, Kenwood House entrance fees, and from the restaurant and cafes.
Simon Cranmer, general manager at Kenwood, responded to the concerns.
He wrote: “The Kenwood team is looking forward to welcoming thousands of visitors this Halloween and Christmas. The light trails will delight all ages, creating memories that last a lifetime. These events also raise vital funds to help us care for Kenwood – a much-loved place that’s free to enjoy but not free to maintain.
“During this period, the car park will be closed to everyone except Blue Badge holders. We know this isn’t ideal. Normally we use the area by the viewpoint for event infrastructure, but we’re giving the landscape there time to recover over the winter.
“We appreciate this decision is frustrating for some but it was motivated by what is best for Kenwood. As always, we’ll bear all feedback in mind when planning future events.”
