Sunday 2 October 2022 03:36 PM Londoners fighting to save city's nightlife as pubs and bars threatened with ... trends now

Sunday 2 October 2022 03:36 PM Londoners fighting to save city's nightlife as pubs and bars threatened with ... trends now
Sunday 2 October 2022 03:36 PM Londoners fighting to save city's nightlife as pubs and bars threatened with ... trends now

Sunday 2 October 2022 03:36 PM Londoners fighting to save city's nightlife as pubs and bars threatened with ... trends now

Londoners are fighting to save the city's nightlife after becoming fed-up with the constant noise complaints threatening to close their local boozers.

Fury was first sparked this summer when the 200-year-old Compton Arms in Islington, north London, was threatened with closure after four new neighbours who moved into the area during lockdown complained that revellers were too noisy, and that the venue was a danger to health.

While pub-goers from all over the capital have jumped to the venue's defence, the iconic pub, that inspired George Orwell's essay on the perfect boozer, is now facing having its licence revoked by Islington Council because of the grumbles. The case is due to be heard on October 12.

The Compton Arms, however, is not the only historic venue across London under threat because of noise complaints from new neighbours - in the last six months alone, more than 20 venues across the capital have come under fire for their noisy customers.

Pub bosses and landlords claim the pandemic resulted in more noise complaints as people got used to the 'Covid quiet' - with one saying 'my heart sinks into my stomach' any time someone is too noisy in her pub.

And noise complaints are not the only issue threatening what was once a buzzing capital city’s nightlife.

Plans to renovate clubs and bars into spaces for flats and offices are causing what were once popular venues to vanish from London's nighttime economy.

The UK’s economic turmoil, spurred on by the ongoing energy crisis, high inflation rate and spooked markets, are also causing boozers across the country to close their doors forever.

Earlier this week, punters were issued another blow after pub giant Wetherspoons announced it would be shutting down 32 of its venues - 14 of which are in London.

The giant boozer, which operates 800 pubs across the UK, said it made the ‘commercial decision’ after it warned it could lose up to £30 million due to rising energy costs and high inflation.

It comes as one of London's most popular night time venues, Printworks London, announced it would close its doors 'for a number of years' despite being thrown a lifeline to potentially stop existing plans to convert the club into offices. 

More than 20 venues across London have been threatened with noise complaints from angry neighbours since the start of 2022 

The Compton Arms in Islington, north London, a 200-year-old iconic pub that inspired an Orwellian essay on the perfect boozer could face closure after four neighbours who moved in during lockdown complained about noisy revellers and 'piles of rubbish'

There are fewer pubs in England and Wales than ever before, according to analysis that sheds light on the ruinous impact of the coronavirus pandemic and soaring business costs. Two hundred pubs vanished from English and Welsh communities from the end of 2021 up to the end of June, taking the total number down to 39,973 pubs

There are fewer pubs in England and Wales than ever before, according to analysis that sheds light on the ruinous impact of the coronavirus pandemic and soaring business costs. Two hundred pubs vanished from English and Welsh communities from the end of 2021 up to the end of June, taking the total number down to 39,973 pubs

Matt Porter, 24, who manages Simmons Bar in Soho said that the venue gets noise complaints 'all the time' from the 'older generation' who says its 'too loud'

Matt Porter, 24, who manages Simmons Bar in Soho said that the venue gets noise complaints 'all the time' from the 'older generation' who says its 'too loud'

Peter Brand, a regular drinker at The Asparagus, a Wetherspoons pub on Falcon Road in Battersea, that will be sold off

Joseph Kelly is a regular drinkers at the Asparagus in Clapham which is set to be sold off

Joseph Kelly (right) and Peter Brand (left) are both regular drinkers at The Asparagus in Battersea, South London. The pub is one the Wetherspoons' venues set to close 

Following the Wetherspoons' announcement publican and social commentator Adam Brooks warned that 'it will be a matter of 'use it or lose it' for many local pubs this winter'.

He added: 'My local Wetherspoons is being sold, prime High Road position in an area with very affluent people but also nearby council estates.

'If they are pulling out, imagine how hard the Independents are finding it.'

The Asparagus in Battersea, South London, is one of the victim's of the Wetherspoon's closures. The pub is known for more than a place to drink and eat, but also for its sense of community.

Joseph Kelly, 72, one of the first people to set foot in the pub when it opened back in 1998, said: 'I have been here since it first opened. I was the first feet in the door. I have loads of friends here and I have met so many people over the years at this very pub.

'I will miss coming across here every day. Even when its raining I come over to the pub. I just hope it will still be open for my birthday on the 19th October so I can have a few pints of Guinness.'

Peter Brand, 55, who has been drinking in The Asparagus for 10 years, said: 'I love bringing my kids here, they love it. It's such a family place. The kids can come and do what they want, its so safe and they know everyone and everyone knows them.

'Other pubs don't cater for the local community like this one does. Pubs like this are based on community and that is hard to find.'

Elsewhere in London, venues are being threatened with closure to make way for housing and commercial properties.  

Printworks London in Surrey Quays. The electronic music venue is set to close 'for a number of years' in 2023. Earlier this year it was announced that the old printing press venue would be converted into offices, but the venue announced a possible U-turn could take place

Printworks London in Surrey Quays. The electronic music venue is set to close 'for a number of years' in 2023. Earlier this year it was announced that the old printing press venue would be converted into offices, but the venue announced a possible U-turn could take place

Printworks, who is owned by Broadwick Live, published a statement on Twitter regarding the future of the night time venue

Printworks, who is owned by Broadwick Live, published a statement on Twitter regarding the future of the night time venue

An empty dance floor at Printworks London. The venue was once the printing press for the Evening Standard

An empty dance floor at Printworks London. The venue was once the printing press for the Evening Standard 

Earlier this week, Printworks announced it could return to its beloved venue, after more than 11,000 heartbroken clubbers pitched together to sign an online petition to save the event. 

In July, Southwark Council announced the iconic Surrey Quays venue, which holds up to 6,000 partygoers and has featured internationally renowned DJs such as Peggy Gou, would be closing its doors to make way for more office space.

This week the popular electronic music club, once home to the printing press for the London Evening Standard, confirmed that it is still set to close in 2023 ‘for a number of years’ but added it was in the midst of talks with its developer, British Land, over the possibility to ‘return to the venue following the site’s redevelopment’.

In a statement on Twitter the venue, which is owned by Broadwick Live, said: 'We're pleased to confirm that in partnership with British Land we're in detailed talks about our return to our much-loved venue.

'While there is still a detailed planning process that needs to take place before we can 100% confirm the future of Printworks, we're positive about our future'.

While the U-turn might save Printworks, other venues across the capital are struggling to keep noise complaints from NIMBY's under control.

Hackney's hopping nightlife is just one area of the capital facing similar complaints in the post-pandemic world.

The Jago arts and cultures venue, known as 'the beating heart of Hackney', has seen a rise in noise complaints since the country emerged from lockdowns and faces having to reduce its trading hours.

General manager Kwame Otiende, who has been running the venue since 2018, told MailOnline: 'Before the pandemic, we never had any noise complaints.

Kwame Otiende (pictured), general manager of the Jago in Dalston, said the venue, known as 'the beating heart of Hackney', has seen a rise in noise complaints since the country emerged from lockdowns

Kwame Otiende (pictured), general manager of the Jago in Dalston, said the venue, known as 'the beating heart of Hackney', has seen a rise in noise complaints since the country emerged from lockdowns

The Jago arts and cultures venue, known as 'the beating heart of Hackney', has seen a rise in noise complaints since the country emerged from lockdowns and faces having to reduce its trading hours

The Jago arts and cultures venue, known as 'the beating heart of Hackney', has seen a rise in noise complaints since the country emerged from lockdowns and faces having to reduce its trading hours

The Jago has created an online petition to save itself and other venues in Hackney from the 'rising noise complaints' the area is getting. So far, more than 2,000 people have signed it

The Jago has created an online petition to save itself and other venues in Hackney from the 'rising noise complaints' the area is getting. So far, more than 2,000 people have signed it 

Londoner's have taken to social media to protect their beloved boozers and music venues. An online petition to save The Jago in Dalston has received more than 2,000 signatures

Londoner's have taken to social media to protect their beloved boozers and music venues. An online petition to save The Jago in Dalston has received more than 2,000 signatures 

'These noise complaints all started after the pandemic so it's quite clear that a lot of people that used to live in Hackney moved away, because a lot of them worked in the creative industry.

'Then we had a whole new set of people move in because they heard that Hackney is cool and hip but they had did not realise what it means to live in an area of culture'.

Mr Otiende believes that most of the noise complaints being handed to his venue, as well as neighbouring venues such as The Haggerston jazz pub, are all coming from a single home where the residents moved in during lockdown.

The music venue was previously threatened with closure as developers wanted to turn it into a residential block but Hackney Council put a stop to the plans making it an asset of community value.

He added: 'It's not that we don't care about anyone that says they can hear noise because the people that come to our venues live in this borough and we do care that our operations don't affect our community.

'But at the same time, these noise complaints are a stereotypical case of someone moving next to a church and complaining about church bells. 

'If you move to Hackney, you know it's an inner city borough and that there will be some level of noise, whether that's passing traffic or people on the high street.'

The venue has now created a petition online to protect The Jago and other music venues in Hackney, such as the Haggerston Pub, against the 'rising number of noise complaints'.

Pub closures in England and Wales in the past six months  Region Number of Pubs - December 31, 2021 Number of Pubs - June 30, 2022 Difference East 3,766 3,742 24 East Midlands 3,610 3,590 20 London 3,604 3,580 24 North East 1,983 1,972 11 North West 5,361 5,344 17 South East 5,739 5,724 15 South West 4,726 4,703 23 West Midlands 3,979 3,951 28 Yorkshire/Humberside 4,345 4,327 18 Wales 3,060 3,040 20 TOTAL 40,173 39,973 200

The George Tavern, in Stepney, successfully overcame a battle with a housing company that wanted to build more than 200 flats adjacent to the venue in the disused Stepney's Nightclub. It said building flats next door would result in more noise complaints

The George Tavern, in Stepney, successfully overcame a battle with a housing company that wanted to build more than 200 flats adjacent to the venue in the disused Stepney's Nightclub. It said building flats next door would result in more noise complaints

Luke Robert Black, deputy chair of LGBT+ Conservatives, said that he looks at 'the decline of London's hospitality and nightlife sector with despair'

Luke Robert Black, deputy chair of LGBT+ Conservatives, said that he looks at 'the decline of London's hospitality and nightlife sector with despair' 

So far, it has received more than 2,000 signatures. One social media user who shared the campaign said: 'The plight of London: people who move into areas with cultural character and/or value, attracted by their unique reference points - then turning around and shoving them into the ground'.

A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said that the Culture and Community Spaces at Risk team had been working with The Jago.

It added that the Culture at Risk Office, which was created in 2016, aims to protect London's grassroots and world-leading cultural infrastructure.  

Other Islington pubs, located near The Compton Arms, fear that if the historical boozer is shut down, their venues are also at risk.

Maria Roche, 61, who runs The Jolly Sisters pub in Islington, north London, said that her pub had even received noise complaints from those living nearby because her 'cooler was making noise' even though 'it wasn't over any noise limit'.

She said: 'It is a massive problem.

'People think they have a right to silence in their home and it creates big problems for local pubs.

'People have been drinking outside in the hot weather and every time someone raises their voice, my heart goes into my stomach.

'You can't run a pub now in the way you used to years ago.'

It comes after the trade body, UK Hospitality, predicted more than 10,000 pubs and restaurants could close thanks to a 'perfect storm' of inflation, soaring energy costs and rising rents.

The case to have The Compton's Arms licence revoked will be heard on October 12 at Islington council's sub-committee

The case to have The Compton's Arms licence revoked will be heard on October 12 at Islington council's sub-committee 

The Compton Arms was the inspiration for George Orwell's (pictured) 1964 essay 'The Moon Under Water' published in the Evening Standard in which he described his perfect pub

The Compton Arms was the inspiration for George Orwell's (pictured) 1964 essay 'The Moon Under Water' published in the Evening Standard in

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