London’s Oval Space, a multi use arts institution with important connections to the city’s music industry, has had its licence revoked. Since opening in 2013, Oval Space has become an integral part of London’s cultural scene, from hosting club nights to conferences in their space.. However, the venue and business called into question following an alleged shooting that took place on August 30th during an afterparty at Oval Space. The venue’s licence was put up for review following this incident. This marked the second time the venue has been called into question recently. Their licence was also put up for review following a stabbing in February, 2020. Meanwhile, Oval Space’s sister club The Pickle Factory remains unaffected.
On September 21, Oval Space put out a call on social media asking their patrons for support amidst fears of losing their licence. They requested that those wishing to support the venue “send representation in support of Oval Space through [a] pre-formatted letter which highlights the importance of these spaces in major cities across the country.” Ultimately, a decision was made one week later by Tower Hamlets Council, who decided to revoke Oval Space’s licence and shut the venue down. According to Hamlet Towers council documents, firearms had been discharged at the venue and caused many attendees to flee. A man with gunshot wounds from the incident was later found outside the venue. This incident led Hamlet Towers council members to believe that gangs had infiltrated Oval Space. “Once you allow gangs into a venue, it’s very, very hard to turn it around and get them out. Ultimately, the premises licence holder is to blame for this,” said licensing officer Corrine Holland, expressing that the council had lost faith in Oval Space’s management to properly regulate the space.
Oval Space’s licence was ultimately revoked on September 27th. A document published by Hamlet Towers shortly after revealed that this was on the grounds of poor management and escalating violence. Principal Certifier of Hamlet Towers council Mark Perry said that Oval Space was believed to have been controlled by gangs, with the suspects in the alleged shooting having been identified as gang members. PC Perry also elaborated that Oval Space had failed to improve on its management since its last review in 2020, pointing toward various issues such as the sale of alcohol to already intoxicated guests and the failure of the venue to install the ID scanning software Club Scan. This is despite licence holder Dean James’s claims that the venue had been improving its management and had received positive feedback from law enforcement. A solicitor for James, Paddy Whur, denied claims that the venue had been taken over by gangs. In a recent statement to Resident Advisor, Oval Space also denied these allegations. “We completely dispute any claims that the venue is gang affiliated. We do acknowledge that security errors were made in relation to this incident, which we take full responsibility for and we will be working closely with the relevant authorities to address these issues.”
The Hamlet Towers Council and sub-committee overseeing the review decided that the recent events and shortcomings had not taken place despite the best efforts of the licence holder and staff. “They have arisen because of failings on their part,” the sub-committee noted. “The sub-committee is ultimately concerned with the safety of the wider public and we are satisfied that the only appropriate and proportionate action is to revoke the premises licence.”
Oval Space is set to appeal Hamlet Towers’s decision.
