War protest could be held in The Mall

The Mall and Battersea Park emerged today as alternative venues for the Stop The War Rally on 15 February.

With Hyde Park vetoed on safety grounds, Culture Minister Tessa Jowell has met civil servants and Royal Parks representatives to discuss alternatives.

Wandsworth council would have to approve any proposed demonstration in Battersea Park, and the Royal Parks if it were proposed for The Mall, where hundreds of thousands of people celebrated the Jubilee last summer.

A ministry spokesman said: "There is a purely practical reason why Hyde Park is never open to rallies and marches during winter. It is just a question of finding a venue that is big enough and safe enough to cope - latest estimates are up to half a million people will attend."

Mark Seddon, editor of Tribune and a member of Labour's National Executive, said: "If Hyde Park's grass can't take hundreds of thousands of feet, how can Battersea Park? The problem with The Mall is there is no platform for any speakers - perhaps that is what Tessa Jowell prefers."