The news broke this week that after a review, Glasgow club The Arches was having it’s nightclub license revoked. The issues with licensing first stemmed from drug misuse on the venue, largely rooted in one incident that took place last year when an underage clubber tragically died. Yet the nightclub and arts venue had made a significant effort to assure the authorities that this was something they took very seriously, highlighting that during their period of review out of 250,000 clubbers, only 0.14% were reported for the misuse of substances. It is this that made the councils decision to remove the license such a shock.
What followed was an outpouring of anger, that manifested in this petition urging the council to revise their decision – a petition that currently has over 32,000 signatures. It seems that this determination not to go down without a fight is stretching as far as the venue themselves. In a statement released today they have stated that “the board is now taking legal advice on appealing the decision.”
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Mark Anderson, The Arches executive director has stated, “We are still stunned by Friday’s decision and at a loss to understand just what more we could have done to provide a safer clubbing environment at The Arches.” Echoing his disbelief, Lucy Mason, the venue’s artistic director added, “It is impossible to imagine the cultural landscape with The Arches wiped of the map, a situation which is entirely possible given the interdependency of the Arts and Club activity within our organisation.”
The Arches Board of Directors met last night to discuss all possible options going forward and are now taking legal advice with a look to appeal the decision. They have also added that this week’s schedule of events is going ahead as planned.
Watch this space, and hopefully the pivotal venue will be with us for longer than we feared.
