London’s Brixton Academy will officially be allowed to reopen, as long as the venue complies with “extensive and robust” safety conditions, following a decision from the Lambeth Council.
The Lambeth Council, which presides over the Lambeth borough in which Brixton Academy is located, has required that the cherished venue meet 77 different conditions “designed to promote public safety,” if it is to reopen.
Brixton Academy has been closed since December 2022, after losing its license due to a fatal crowd crush during a performance from the Nigerian artist Asake in which two individuals died. One woman who was injured in the incident is still in the hospital in critical condition.
According to The Guardian, the required safety conditions include stronger doors, improved crowd management systems, more in-depth risk assessments, a new ticketing system and a centralized control and command center, as well as a new security and management team.
Lambeth Council’s cabinet member for safer communities, Mahamed Hashi, said these guidelines were “among the measures” outlined by venue owners Academy Music Group (AMG) during last week’s hearing to decide the fate of the venue.
Hashi added, “At the hearing, the council’s licensing officers asked that AMG’s initial proposals were greatly strengthened. This was accepted by the operator.”
London’s Metropolitan Police will continue an investigation into whether any criminal offenses were committed in relation to the tragic incident.
Brixton Academy’s proposed reopening received a great deal of support from the public, with over 116,000 signatures on a petition to “Save Brixton Academy.”
Marina Ahmad, an economy spokesperson for the London Assembly, said, “I am pleased that our community will retain this iconic venue. I would like to thank Lambeth Council and the police for their work ensuring that music lovers get to enjoy London’s thriving late-night scene confident in safety.”
Featured image from O2 Brixton Academy.
