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New planning rules to protect small London venues |
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The Evening Standard reports on a move to protect London's live music scene after the closure of two of the capital's best known smaller venues.
The Evening Standard reports on a move to protect London's live music scene after the closure of two of the capital's best known smaller venues.
Within two weeks, the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, will publish a report proposing new planning rules aimed at protecting small and midsized venues after the The Spitz in Spitalfields Market and Hammersmith Palais closed.
Aid fears that the Electric Ballroom in Camden and the Astoria in Soho are at risk and the Mayor wants to use planning law to make developers think twice about closing venues down. The Hammersmith Palais shut last year to be redeveloped into an office complex.
The Astoria is under threat if the Cross London crossrail scheme and the Electric Ballroom
is fighting plans to bulldoze it to make way for a new tube station and
shopping complex. A spokeswoman for the Mayor said: "London is known
around the world for its live music. Its reputation for a cutting edge
and innovative music scene is a vital asset, nurtured by having a range
of venues where live music can flourish. Not every venue can stay open
forever, but factors such as size, location and music genre need to be
taken into consideration. The Mayor has made it clear he wants London to be a city in which a range of venues, musicians and performers can thrive."
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