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Last week we reported tragic news officially confirming that Boxpark Shoreditch – one of London’s best-loved venues for watching big-ticket sporting events and getting totally drenched in pints – will be closing at the end of the summer. The venue was the first Boxpark and has been open since 2011 – needless to say, it holds a special place in many Londoners’ hearts.
Plenty in the city will no doubt be sad to see Boxpark Shoreditch go, but a new development in the saga could – maybe, just maybe – see the venue saved. The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has just launched a campaign demanding immediate action to save Boxpark Shoreditch.
The NTIA argues that the venue has generated nearly £100 million and brought more than 10 million visitors to the area, saying: ‘Boxpark Shoreditch is more than just a food and entertainment space; it is a vital part of east London’s social and cultural fabric.’
Boxpark is moving out of Shoreditch after talks to extend its lease were unsuccessful. It’s vacating the site to make way for a vast redevelopment project called Bishopsgate Goodsyard, which you can read more about here. The brand’s founder Roger Wade said: ‘Despite our relentless efforts in collaboration with the GLA [Greater London Authority], Hackney Council, and our landlords BGY, we must close due to a planning requirement.’
Wade says he is ‘disheartened’ that Bishopsgate Goodsyard work on the site won’t begin immediately, saying that its neighbour Power League had its lease extended.
Michael Kill, CEO of the NTIA, said: ‘Boxpark Shoreditch exemplifies the exact issue faced across the country with red tape and restrictive regulatory controls stalling business investment. This has to stop. People are fed up.’
In response to the campaign, Hackney councillor Guy Nicholson said: ‘Boxpark’s contribution to Shoreditch’s reputation as one of the capital’s most visited and well managed destinations has been exemplary and it’s plain to see how their experience in Shoreditch has enabled them to expand to other locations in the UK.’
Nicholson claims that the NTIA’s campaign (which targets Hackney Council) is ‘entirely misdirected’, adding: ‘Hackney and Tower Hamlets councils don’t own this site nor are they the developers. Neither council is able to use planning powers to delay progress on a development that has long held planning permission from the Mayor of London.
‘Hackney remains open to continuing to assist with discussions with all partners to see if a solution can be found between owners, developers and Boxpark to extend the period it trades on the Shoreditch site before its move to Liverpool Street.’
In other words, this might not be the end of Boxpark Shoreditch just yet! You can find out more about the campaign to save the venue (and support it) on the NTIA website here – watch this space for updates.
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