It was a cause for celebration: “London’s historic George Tavern venue has been saved,” read an NME headline in February 2019. After years of campaigning, the Stepney Green pub and gig venue secured a rare protection against noise complaints. Kate Moss had been photographed wearing a “Save the George Tavern” T-shirt while Amy Winehouse (a regular), Ian McKellen, all four of the Rolling Stones and Justin Timberlake had offered public support. Pints flowed and locals crowdsurfed. Except the war, it seems, is never quite won – and the George has become a microcosm of the broader threats from developers to music venues in 2023.
The struggle dates back to 2002. The George Tavern was up for sale and artist Pauline Forster was the only bidder that wanted to preserve its history. Originally the Halfway House, a coaching inn in the 17th century, the derelict Grade II-listed building was being considered by developers to squeeze flats out of. Forster won by offering the agent cash, even though she didn’t have it, and three days later moved in with her five sons before finding a mortgage. She never intended on becoming a publican. “I didn’t even know how to pull a pint,” she says. “I bought it for its potential as a studio but the bar was just sitting there, ready to go.”
In the decades since, Forster, now 73, has objected to at least 300 planning applications. In partnership with Tower Hamlets council, developers Swan Housing Group intended to destroy the adjoining Stepney Nightclub – where Pulp used its illuminated 1970s dancefloor, one of the last of its kind, to film the video for Common People – and supplant it with flats. A Swan spokesperson told the BBC at the time: “I don’t see that it has any cultural value.”
The plans were overturned in 2016 after a nine-year legal battle, but two years later, another company, IPE Developments, successfully applied to build a residential block called Botanical Lofts behind the pub’s smoking area. This prompted Forster to contact the legal team responsible for the 2014 Ministry of Sound case, when, after spending over £1m on fees, the club was granted the right to make noise at existing levels. The fight resulted in her 2019 victory, protecting the venue against noise complaints from Botanical Lofts’ residents. “I knew what the future held and did everything I could,” says Forster. “I don’t give in. I am very determined. Most people wouldn’t stand a chance.”
Converting properties for residential use can be fatal for music venues. In May 2014, the local council’s threat £25,000 in automatic fines for noise led to the collapse of Brighton’s community-driven Blind Tiger Club, now a BrewDog pub. Parliament introduced the Agent of Change principle four years later to protect venues, placing the responsibility for noise insulation on new developments. Yet Night and Day Cafe in Manchester, a city staple for over 30 years, appeared in court earlier this year after a noise abatement notice from the local council. The ongoing row centres on a single complaint from an adjoining property converted for residential use. The Agent of Change legislation also only applies to new residents: The Lion and Lamb in Hackney, London, had its licence reviewed in lockdown and was forced to crowdfund a lawyer and upgrade soundproofing.
An estimated 35% of grassroots music venues in the UK have closed in the last 20 years, according to Music Venue Trust (MVT). According to its figures, 48 venues have closed in the last 12 months. Besides noise complaints and development, the pandemic, under-investment, rocketing energy prices (Forster paid £6,800 last month, up 400% on the previous year) and the industry’s poor economic model have all played a role.
The issue of ownership, though, underlies almost every other challenge, says Mark Davyd, the chief executive of MVT, a charity that represents nearly 1,000 venues. “We have identified 22 factors that contribute to closure and renting sits behind most of them. It is a massive problem. A noise complaint or disagreement over structural issues could result in the termination of a tenancy. Rent reviews are also rife at the moment, with extraordinary increases of about 35%, certainly in major cities.”
Planning for the future is crucial for a sector that acquired over £90m of new debt amid Covid-19, and investing in sustainability, accessibility, diversity, artists and venues remains a priority. But 93% of operators are tenants, with an average of 18 months left on their leases. Landlords, who received 67% of the Covid-19 Culture Recovery Fund, seek to maximise profits, a different agenda entirely.
Even despite Forster owning the property, the George Tavern’s future is not secure. Swan Housing Group recently failed in a bid to redevelop Exmouth Estate which sits behind the pub, after its application expired. The plans would have opened Forster up to further noise complaints: her 2019 win only safeguards the venue from Botanical Lofts. Swan would also have demolished the connecting function room, a neglected space Forster “desperately” wants to buy and restore, but the developers – recently bought out by Sanctuary Housing after facing an annual impairment of £186.5m and breaching a £250m loan agreement – hoped to replace it with a community arts centre.
When asked if they still intended to redevelop Exmouth Estate in this way, a Sanctuary spokesperson wouldn’t comment directly, only saying the company was “committed to further discussions with our partners and the local community”.
Its original planning proposal meanwhile says its intended community arts space would “provide accessible, quality services for all residents”. Only Stepney Green already has a quality community arts space, despite developers trying to tear it down. As it says in the sales brochure for Botanical Lofts, the George Tavern is “a beacon for both emerging and established artists, musicians and creatives alike”.
