After a deadly crowd crush at Brixton Academy last December during a concert by Asake which killed two people, killing 23-year-old security guard Gaby Hutchinson and 33-year-old Rebecca Ikumelo, the venue was forced to close. However, Lambeth Council has now given the music venue permission to reopen, as long as it meets 77 “extensive and robust” safety conditions. Mahamed Hashi, Lambeth Council’s cabinet member for safer communities, said that these conditions “were among the measures proposed by (owners) AMG (Academy Music Group) at the hearing to support their aim of regaining the venue’s licence so it can reopen and making sure we never see a tragedy again like the one there in December 2022”.
Among the stringent conditions that the venue must meet to ensure public safety include higher level risk assessments, stronger doors, better ticketing and crowd management systems, and setting up a “centralised control and command centre” for crowd safety assessment. A new security and management team will also be brought in.
The decision to reopen Brixton Academy came after a hearing regarding the venue’s future began on Monday, September 11 with the council’s licensing subcommittee, which concluded today. The investigation into any possible criminal offences and the deaths of both Gabby Hutchinson and Rebecca Ikumelo will carry on, which is currently being led by the Metropolitan Police.
Brixton Academy has been a staple of the UK’s live music scene since 1983, hosting hundreds of gigs every year from artists such as The Smiths to Rage Against the Machine
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