Published
Mon, Aug 22, 2016, 10:05
- In a recent statement, co-founder Seb Glover also set the record straight on why the space was forced to shut earlier this summer.
Representatives from closed Hackney Wick venue Shapes have released a statement urging London mayor Sadiq Khan to "save London's nightlife."
Shapes, open since 2014, shut its doors for good on July 30th, 2016, amid allegations that a rape had taken place at the venue earlier in the year. This new statement challenges that as the main reason behind the closure. Shapes says it was a way to "divert public attention" away from the truth—that the venue was forced to close because the LLDC (London Legacy Development Corporation) didn't want to risk Shapes winning their right to stay in the area, so they "made persistent written and verbal threats" to the landlord until he served Shapes an eviction notice.
The statement also sets the record straight on the police investigation surrounding the alleged rape, denying claims by the authorities that Shapes were unforthcoming with CCTV footage and claiming that "none of the organisers of the event, the staff, promoters or security were interviewed by the police." It goes on to say: "In spite of the club's assistance with the investigation, and following of procedure with wider licensing applications, both the police and the council have made it clear Shapes, and more widely music venues, are no longer welcome in the area."
The document ends with a statement from venue co-founder Seb Glover, which begins by saying that "in light of the closure of Shapes, a number of community programs have now ceased, a great number of jobs have been erased, and another bright thread in the fabric of London's nightlife has been severed." He then goes on to directly address Sadiq Khan, calling on him to "fulfil his pledge to protect London's music venues and investigate the unethical actions of both his planning department and his police force in this matter" and "to protect small businesses and the rights of the many over the few." It ends by imploring Khan to "save London's nightlife."
This is not the first time Khan has been involved in the debate surrounding London nightlife. In the run-up to this year's election, he vowed to "save London's iconic club scene," while more recently he urged Islington Council, the police and fabric "to find an approach that protects clubbers' safety & the future of the club."