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Ministry of Sound 'under threat' from housing development
Club's owners fear licence could be in jeopardy if residential building is built next to its premises in south London.
It has been at the forefront of the dance scene for almost two decades, welcomes more than 300,000 clubbers through its door every year and spawned a worldwide music empire.
But Ministry of Sound, arguably the most famous nightclub in the world, is under threat because of a housing development, according to its owners.
They fear the club's license could be in jeopardy if a 41-story residential building, which includes 335 flats, is built next to its premises in Elephant and Castle, south London.
"We are understandably worried," said Lohan Presencer, the chief executive of the Ministry of Sound group. "If this development goes ahead we are going to be living next to at least 1,000 residents and just one complaint could lead to a challenge to our license."
Presencer added: "We were told that we can't expect to stop the tide of development in the area, but we have no intention of doing that; we have been employing and entertaining people from this area for 18 years. We just want to protect our business and cater for the thousands of people who come here to enjoy themselves."
A spokesman for property developer Oakmayne said the company had put forward a series of "beyond reasonable" offers to minimize the risk of complaints from residents. These include reserving the lower floors of the building for commercial use, enhanced glazing and ensuring that potential buyers are aware of the club's existence.
Christopher Allen, the chairman of Oakmayne, said the company had been working to ensure that the development and Ministry of Sound "can coexist harmoniously", adding that it had offered the club £400,000 for soundproofing.
In a statement he said: "Sadly for Southwark residents, Ministry of Sound will not withdraw their objection so the £20m of scheme benefits are now in jeopardy. This represents £16m of affordable housing and £4.5m of community-related benefits."
But the club's owners say the proposed soundproofing is unworkable because the venue would have to close for between nine months to a year. "Closing the club for that amount of time is as bad as closing it permanently," said Presencer.
Feargal Sharkey, chief executive of UK Music, which represents the commercial music industry, said heavy-handed licensing laws for live venues left many businesses in a precarious state. "It will only take one complaint to spark a possible review of the Ministry of Sound's license, as the definition of public nuisance remains totally subjective," he said.
That sucks.
Club's owners fear licence could be in jeopardy if residential building is built next to its premises in south London.
It has been at the forefront of the dance scene for almost two decades, welcomes more than 300,000 clubbers through its door every year and spawned a worldwide music empire.
But Ministry of Sound, arguably the most famous nightclub in the world, is under threat because of a housing development, according to its owners.
They fear the club's license could be in jeopardy if a 41-story residential building, which includes 335 flats, is built next to its premises in Elephant and Castle, south London.
"We are understandably worried," said Lohan Presencer, the chief executive of the Ministry of Sound group. "If this development goes ahead we are going to be living next to at least 1,000 residents and just one complaint could lead to a challenge to our license."
Presencer added: "We were told that we can't expect to stop the tide of development in the area, but we have no intention of doing that; we have been employing and entertaining people from this area for 18 years. We just want to protect our business and cater for the thousands of people who come here to enjoy themselves."
A spokesman for property developer Oakmayne said the company had put forward a series of "beyond reasonable" offers to minimize the risk of complaints from residents. These include reserving the lower floors of the building for commercial use, enhanced glazing and ensuring that potential buyers are aware of the club's existence.
Christopher Allen, the chairman of Oakmayne, said the company had been working to ensure that the development and Ministry of Sound "can coexist harmoniously", adding that it had offered the club £400,000 for soundproofing.
In a statement he said: "Sadly for Southwark residents, Ministry of Sound will not withdraw their objection so the £20m of scheme benefits are now in jeopardy. This represents £16m of affordable housing and £4.5m of community-related benefits."
But the club's owners say the proposed soundproofing is unworkable because the venue would have to close for between nine months to a year. "Closing the club for that amount of time is as bad as closing it permanently," said Presencer.
Feargal Sharkey, chief executive of UK Music, which represents the commercial music industry, said heavy-handed licensing laws for live venues left many businesses in a precarious state. "It will only take one complaint to spark a possible review of the Ministry of Sound's license, as the definition of public nuisance remains totally subjective," he said.
That sucks.
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