London dance venue Fabric is to reopen after its owners successfully brokered a deal with Islington Council.
The iconic club was controversially closed on September 7 after Islington Council revoked its license following a seven-hour meeting.
One of the primary reasons for the decision was the council’s belief that “a culture of drugs exists at the club which management cannot control”. Read the council’s full statement on the reasons behind their decision here.
However, the club launched an appeal against its closure shortly after the verdict was announced. The outcome of the appeal has now been confirmed in a joint statement issued today (November 21) by Islington Council and Fabric’s owners.
The statement explains that Fabric’s owners have “offered many new additional conditions to be added to its Licence, all of which are designed to ensure a Zero Tolerance approach to drug possession, consumption and sale within the club”.
These conditions include lifetime bands for anyone trying to buy, sell or consume drugs on the premises or upon entry. Entry to the club will be monitored by a new I.D. scanning system and there will be improved lighting, additional CCTV provision and covert surveillance within the club.
Read more: Closing Fabric Isn’t The Answer – Being Realistic About People Taking Drugs Is
Meanwhile, under 19s will not be allowed inside the venue at anything deemed a “core club night” for Fabric. The club will not re-open “until [its owners] believe that they comply with their new conditions,” the statement adds.
Fabric first opened in 1999, and news of its closure was met by widespread dismay from prominent names in the music industry and beyond.
Producer Four Tet said “London is being ruined right now,” while Tim Westwood told NME that Fabric’s closure should serve as a “call to arms” for people to combat the gradual vanishing of London’s nightlife”.
Meanwhile, London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan has recently hired a Night Czar to stem threats to the city’s after-hours economy.