Matt V2.0
Registered: Apr 2002 Posts: 17728 - Threads: 847 Location: Surrey
2016 | Honourable Mention Party Animal
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Here's an update from Louise @ 414:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/club414/permalink/10153156646199125/
Quote:
| Louise Barron
Dear Town Planning Officer Jan Slominski,
Re 414 – 416 Coldharbour Lane Brixton SW9 8LF
Our names are Anthony Pommell and Louise Barron of Club 414 Brixton.
We have run our business at this address for the last 30 years as well as living here for 28 years. It took us, two years for us to create our living accommodation.
When we first took over these premises a few years after the ’81 Riots’ this building was derelict. No electric, no gas, no water, no roof and three others rooves that leaked. It was also infested with rats and cockroaches.
Brixton was a troubled area with a bad reputation for crime and disorder. An area nobody wanted to invest in.
In 1985/86 Lambeth Council gave us a grant of £5200.00 via the ‘Brixton Challenge Scheme’. We think it is safe to say Club 414 is a project of Lambeth. We also invested all our savings and monies borrowed from family, along with a £7000.00 loan from ‘Charringtons Brewery’ to start renovating the building so we could open.
The renovation took a year, with most of the work being done by ourselves and friends who worked in the trades we needed.
We like to think of ourselves as pioneers flying the flag for Brixton over the years to support our town with positive actions, showing confidence in attracting people to come to our venue for a good night out in a safe and friendly environment, with a great party atmosphere.
Our faith in Brixton is a strong today as it was 30 years ago.
We have a good working relationship with the Lambeth Licencing, always supported our police force shown solidarity and have helped on more than a few occasions with our CCTV footage for their enquiries with crime over the years.
We have been recognised by one clubbing website with best music venue award some 8 years in a row beating places like Ministry Of Sound, KOKO, Scala and the coronet something we are very proud of.
Over the years we have established a respect from many promoters, producers, Dj’s, and our customers from all over the world, adding to the economy of Brixton, spending money in local shops may it be for food, cigarettes, newspapers/magazines or other drinking establishments/venues. We ourselves shop local for the business supporting independent outlets and the markets.
We have also held many charity events and raised money. Along with weddings, christenings and funerals. We are a community asset on a lot of levels.
In the early years Coldharbour Lane was void of any nightlife, we are the oldest business run by the same people on the Lane now. We were here before the ‘Satay Bar’ was built, ‘The Atlantic pub’ became the ‘Dog Star’, ‘Living Room’ (‘Market House’) taking over from ‘The Coach and Horses’ run by the late George Berry, ‘The Prince of Wales’ was the biggest pub, ‘The Prince Albert’ was run by Mrs. Pat Burke a great lady and our teacher on many things. Not one of these establishments operated past 11pm.
We were the first to get a 6am licence, the first to get a 9am licence and we now have a 24hour licence.
Our door policy enables anyone in the trade, may it be bar staff, door security, cleaners, glass collectors along with key workers, fireman, nurses, doctors, ambulance driver, medics, hospital ancillary staff even police officers to enter free of charge after they have finished work. This will most certainly be a loss of amenities for local night workers.
All through the years we have maintained a place of employment, for many who have studied hard and gone on to bigger and greater careers, we have been an asset to Brixton and played a big part in many lives around the world.
We want to make you aware, we are still at this address living and running our business and are in total shock with the freeholders have applied for change of use and major development, without abiding by the rules of our lease. They have simply told us after 30 years of investing everything we have ever saved into this building, now we must vacate by November.
Our lease is a ‘full repairing renewable lease’, we are challenging this order to vacate via the courts.
We were sold by our previous freeholders after the renewal of our lease back in 2005. Our new freeholders were fully aware that they were taking us on as sitting tenants with a renewable lease, and established business of 20 years.
The lease we have, leads us to believe that if the owners want to redevelop they should offer an equivalent venue or compensate us with twice the rateable value of our business rates, no offer has been received in fact there has been no mention whatsoever of this from them. Just notice to vacate.
We are also amazed Lambeth Council Planning Department would even consider a change of use to a property that is still trading under different usage. Especially when a pre- application assessment was requested before the application was made. Also should our legal team presents our case to the courts, where a judge agrees that a new lease be granted, what will happen then?
We have held a full repairing renewable lease which we expected to be renewed, we have honoured our side of the contract but the freeholders want to develop with no consideration for ourselves. We are both in our late fifties and would find it extremely difficult to find work and a place to live
After 30 years flying the flag for Brixton to encourage people into an area, with such a negative reputation, and now that it has started to improve, being cast aside like we are rubbish, as if we have played no part in the fight for a better way of life that Brixton was denied for so many years. It’s a disgrace.
For the last 9 ½ years the freeholders of these premises have not spent a penny only taken.
At times it has been very hard to pay our rent, depending on what was happening in Brixton (shootings, stabbings, muggings, drug gangs/dealers, police raids etc.) also the recession this country has been dealing with, and falling into arrears was unfortunate but we were charged interest and we have paid every penny.
‘The Brixton Recreation Centre’ aptly named was created with money from the ‘Brixton Challenge’ it has also had a fair amount of further investment over the years too.
Taking into consideration the £5200.00 given to us, must surely be classed as money well spent by Lambeth Council.
We ourselves oppose this planning application on the grounds of:-
1) The loss of amenities to the local area.
2) The loss to Brixton’s culture heritage, (we are the longest running club in Lambeth).
3) Loss of employment.
4) The demise of our ongoing business.
5) The loss of our home of 28 years.
We hope you will think long and hard about the plight we find ourselves in.
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