The Brixton Academy’s future has been the subject of a two-day-long hearing, where the council confirmed that it would support the venue’s “reopening in principle”, considering new safety conditions. The 5,000-capacity venue has been shut since December 2022 after two young women were killed and another injured in a stampede at an Asake concert. Lambeth Council barrister Horatio Waller QC outlined new conditions, which included a “new, revised system for ingress [entry] into the venue” and new barriers “positioned on the highway” to manage traffic.
While the Metropolitan Police denied it intended to close the venue, it argued against the current operator, the Academy Music Group (AMG), which has run the venue for 20 years, retaining its license. The police stated that the academy’s risks were “largely overstated,” which AMG’s legal representative, Mr Philip Kolvin QC, disputed. He explained that despite spending £1.2m ($2m) on maintenance and improvements, including strengthened doors, the venue was at the mercy of the surge’s sudden impact and “does not require these premises to shut down.”
During the hearing, Councillor Fred Howell, the chair of the licensing sub-committee, suggested final decisions had not yet been made, while Waller QC criticised any “tunnel vision” over risks based on race or music genre, as AMG specialises in hosting black music events. Lambeth Council is expected to make a final decision on the fate of the venue within five working days of the hearing
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