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Plastic People fighting police moves to revoke licence
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 24 February 2010
Talking of London clubs facing closure – and this one’s much more imminent – long standing Shoreditch clubbing venue Plastic People could lose its licence because of action being taken by the Met police.
It seems the police have asked Hackney Council to reconsider Plastic People’s licence over allegations the management there have breached the terms of their existing licence, and have failed to prevent crime, disorder and public nuisance. A notice that such a review will now take place has been posted outside the premises and any local “interested parties” have been invited to submit opinions about the venue. It’s thought the whole thing will be properly considered at a council meeting in late March.
In a statement yesterday, the club’s management said: “We are in no doubt how serious this situation is and as a result had a meeting with the solicitor yesterday. This does not mean that all hope is lost and that Plastic People has come to its end. However, it does mean that we must do all we can to co-operate with the police and Hackney Council in order to ensure that we can keep the best dance music venue in London open for all to enjoy”.
As word spread around London’s clubbing community about the pending licence review yesterday, Plastic People manager Bernard Koudjo urged angry clubbers to be restrained with their opposition to the Met police’s actions while he and his team work with the authorities to find a way to enable the club to continue to operate. However, he added: “A collection of people involved in the club are setting up a committee called Friends Of Plastic People. They will gather people’s experiences of working with and attending Plastic People over the years. They will meet this week and no doubt they will let you know how you can help. I would urge everyone to hold back on making representations to the police or the Council in the meantime, but by all means carry on spreading the word”.
Noting the 10,000 plus people who have already signed up to a Keep Plastic People Alive Facebook group, Koudjo added: “We know that Plastic People is loved by all of you, but we could never have predicted the reactions from so many people in such a short time. It has been overwhelming. On behalf of everyone here at Plastic People, special thanks to Benny Blanco for starting the ‘Keep Plastic People Alive’ campaign and to all of you who are showing your appreciation for what the club has done over the last sixteen years”.
You can join that Group and keep up with the campaign to save the Shoreditch venue here:
www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=312688015977
