FIRE nightclub
by VivaVauxhall - February 17th, 2010.Filed under: FIRE nightclub, Vauxhall Grove.
Residents local to FIRE have been informed that the club ‘has withdrawn its planning application’ to expand into adjacent arches. An e-mail to Lambeth Council to find out what’s behind this surprising move solicited this (Lambeth-speak) response:
“The application was not supported by any justification for the proposed change of use and consequently officers considered that it has not been demonstrated that it would be acceptable in land-use terms. I do not know whether there is any intention of resubmitting the application in the near future.”
Read into that what you will, but it’s interesting that it didn’t even get to a public hearing for consideration by the planning committee. Did FIRE ‘voluntarily’ withdraw their application or was it made clear to them that it wouldn’t succeed?
Having won their original fight to stop FIRE getting licensing approval for the new arches only to see the decision overturned* at an appeal hearing, local residents who have been opposing the planning application are delighted that it has been withdrawn.
As one person who lives on the front line in Vauxhall Grove told us: ‘We see this as a victory for local residents who have fought a long and sustained campaign against FIRE expanding. FIRE is the only club in the immediate Vauxhall area which is situated right on the doorstep of a large residential community and this should be taken into account whenever licensing or planning approval is applied for. The maximum club capacity already stands at 1430 and increasing the capacity or popularity of the venue will mean an increase in anti-social behaviour, taxi touts and parking problems for residents.’
Residents were actively supported in their campaign by Lib Dem Councillors Andrew Sawdon and Rob Banks.
*Local residents felt ‘cheated’ when FIRE got the licensing refusal overturned solely on the very narrow point that they would not expand the overall capacity of the club. The planning committee did not insist that FIRE ‘permanently’ rule out reapplying in the future to increase the capacity (FIRE said that they would not do so within a year), also they seemed obtusely blind to any argument that FIRE would still have the opportunity to increase the number of clubbers attending certain events.
February 17th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
The sooner Lambeth brings in a proper ’saturation’ policy the better - this would mean that the onus would be on clubs that wished to open (or expand) to prove that they would not create noise and nuisance. At the moment the onus is on residents to prove that ‘more clubs means more noise’.
February 17th, 2010 at 5:17 pm
Your efforts to appear neutral fail. Just say you oppose it and be done with it. That’s fine.
I don’t care much either way. I think the clubs helped build Vauxhall as a destination when it was undesirable. Now that it is desirable, and investment is coming in, people want to kick the clubs out. That happens. Shame, I suppose. I’m too old to go really.
February 18th, 2010 at 8:43 pm
Yep, happy to just say “I oppose it”.
I don’t quite see how a club increasing its capacity can be seen as an investment or indeed how you’d think the people against the expansion want to kick clubs out of the area.
Sure they are part of Vauxhall, but the misery they cause for local residents outweighs any benefits they may bring the area.
February 18th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
How do I “think people against the expansion want to kick clubs out of the area”?
Your statement: “Sure they are part of Vauxhall, but the misery they cause for local residents outweighs any benefits they may bring the area.”
Need I say more?
February 18th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
Surely you can sympathise with residents who have club visitors defecate and urinate on or around their entrance, litter nearby streets with flyers, use up resident parking at weekends and cause noise past midnight?
In light of the above, in my view, putting a stop to any increase in club capacity isn’t unreasonable. The clubs will continue to operate and people will continue to be able to have a good night (local resident or not).
This issue is simply about ensuring the problem doesn’t get any worse.