Lambeth Council has released a list of 77 conditions that must be met for the O2 Academy Brixton to re-open for a series of test events. The venue closed following a crowd crush at an Asake concert earlier this year which left two dead and another in a critical condition. Since then, negotiations have taken place between the venue’s owners, the Academy Music Group, Lambeth Council and the Metropolitan Police. Despite conflicts arising during these discussions, the venue has re-opened after changes intended to make it safer.
The conditions the O2 Academy Brixton must now meet are extensive and stringent, relating to event management and security arrangements. Key ones include: liaising with the police and licensing authority, as well as submitting an events list; complying with event risk assessments; preparing an Event Management Plan, including crowd safety measures; creating a ‘Show Stop’ and emergency evacuation procedure; and installing a comprehensive CCTV system.
The council has put these conditions in place to ensure the venue can operate safely. Horatio Waller KC, speaking on behalf of Lambeth Council, commented: “We have not shied away from our duty to identify what went wrong and where responsibility lies. This is necessary to ensure lessons can be learned.” Rebecca Ikumelo, who died in the crowd crush, was a 33-year-old mother of two, and security guard Gaby Hutchinson, who was another casualty, died two days later.
Organisations such as Music Venue Trust and Night Time Industry Association have commended the decision to re-open the venue, acknowledging its cultural importance to its neighbourhood. The measures taken have also been deemed by the council to be much more prescriptive, comprehensive, and controlled than those previously in place.
In order to be re-opened, the previous problems had to be identified and lessons learned. With the various stipulations imposed by Lambeth Council, concertgoers can hope that the O2 Academy Brixton is now a safe venue in which to enjoy live music events
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