London venue Oval Space has had its license revoked by Tower Hamlets Council.
The decision to shut the club down came after a meeting by the council’s Licensing Sub-Committee earlier this week. The full reasons for the decision will be shared at a later date, but the license review was triggered by an alleged shooting at the venue in August.
A council document, including accounts by the Metropolitan Police, said a firearm was discharged inside the venue. The suspect, the document said, was able to get the firearm inside the venue after another person who allegedly carried it in was not searched on entrance and waved through the VIP entrance. A man was chased from the venue into the nearby Temple Street, where he was later found with gunshot wounds to both legs by a member of the public.
During the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting, those in charge of making the decision were told by Oval Space’s legal representatives that the venue had since changed security firms and venue manager. The space’s owner also offered to give up the club’s late license in a bid to continue using it for other kinds of events. These conditions were rejected, however, with licensing officer Corrine Holland saying that the council didn’t "have any faith in the management of this venue."
She added: "Once you allow gangs into a venue, it’s very, very hard to turn it around and get them out. Ultimately, the premises license holder is to blame for this."
The decision to revoke Oval Space’s license does not apply to the venue’s nearby sister club, The Pickle Factory.
