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Plans for a comedy festival on Highbury Fields which sparked uproar among neighbours have been scrapped.

Laughterama, a “boutique comedy event” which was due to be staged next year, could have seen up to 1,800 people descend on the borough’s largest green space.

Organiser 57 Festivals, which regularly features top comedy acts Stewart Lee, Adam Buxton and Katherine Ryan, wanted to add to its existing events in Greenwich and Bristol.

Co-founder Cass Briggs said the decision was made for “personal reasons”.

The proposal was for two tents to go up behind Highbury Pool, with alcohol being served and performances going on until 10.30pm.

Residents said it would take up too much of Islington’s precious green space, and feared noise, parking problems and anti-social behaviour.

One complained to Islington Council: “This is not the right location for a private and disruptive week-long event. Rumours of 6ft fences, 2,000 people a night. It goes on too late, for too long, will be too disruptive, too many neighbours’ right to enjoy their homes will be destroy­ed.”

Laughterama had stress­ed the “boutique” event would focus on comedy rather than being alcohol led.

“I was really looking forward to meeting the residents and bringing them round,” Ms Briggs told the Tribune.

“We withdrew our application for the event because I’m relocating overseas for my husband’s work, and this is my primary focus for now. We’re really excited about bringing Laughterama to London though at some point in the future. It’s not never, just not now.”

Chairman of Highbury Fields Association Martin Jones said: “We feel that it was not a suitable area for it. There are other larger parks where it could be held without causing too much disturbance.

“Highbury Fields is the biggest park in a borough with the least amount of open space in London.”

The council has said that raising money by hiring out green spaces can help ease the government funding cuts it faces.

In 2010, the council gave permission for its parks to hold four special events a year.

Its target income from parks is £162,000 in 2016-2017.

Last October, a licensing panel turned down an application for a German-style Oktoberfest event in Caledonian Park two weeks before it was due to go ahead. There is currently a funfair on Highbury Fields.

Mr Jones said: “There is a danger that we look like Nimbys. We don’t want to give that impression but I don’t think we should be subject to quite as many events as we area.”