London experimental music venue IKLECTIK may be forced to vacate its current premises before the end of this year after its application for a lease renewal was rejected.
The not-for-profit cultural space, which is based at Old Paradise Yard in the Lambeth area of London, shared news of its potential forthcoming closure in a social media post. The team behind the venue claimed that they and other small businesses using the same premises were being "collectively punished" for attempting to oppose a new office development which means they will be forced to vacate the area.
In the post, IKLECTIK said: "Guy’s and St Thomas’ Foundation (a £1 billion health fund, not the NHS Trust) is refusing to renew our lease. The decision was made swiftly after the Save Waterloo Paradise campaign gathered almost 50,000 signatures and successfully lobbied Michael Gove, Secretary of State, to reconsider the development.
"In response to this, the foundation is forcing last-minute emergency evictions of all residents, with notices to be served as soon as next week, negating their previous promise that businesses could stay on the site until needed for demolition, giving assurances that plenty of notice would be issued."
If it goes ahead, the new office development will see five new tower blocks built on the Old Paradise Yard premises, making it the largest single development of its kind ever built in Lambeth. Plans for the project were put on hold in August due to widespread local opposItion, including from IKLECTIK and the other small businesses based on the site.
The team behind IKLECTIK are now calling upon people who’ve attended the venue, or want to support its bid to stay open, to lobby the MP Michael Gove, who is Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, by writing letters to his office. The venue is also calling on people to help spread the word about the situation via social media.
GAIKA, Manuka Honey and Giant Swan’s Mun Sing are among the artists lined up to play shows at IKLECTIK over the coming weeks.
Find out how you can support the venue’s bid to remain open here.
