London Club Fabric To Reopen
A judge has signed off on the club’s agreement with the local council and police.
Fabric, the London club ordered to close earlier this year, will reopen its doors after coming to an agreement with local authorities. London newspaper The Islington Gazette reports that the club will be able to trade again after staff agreed to an updated set of conditions under which they must run the venue. The final decision was made today, November 21, by Judge Robin McPhee at Highbury Magistrates Court in north London.
According to a statement put out by Islington Council these terms include people under 19 not being allowed onto the premises during main events, CCTV monitoring, I.D. scanners, and a lifetime ban for anyone caught trying to purchase illegal drugs inside the club.
Issuing a statement via Instagram, the club owners wrote: "We are hugely thankful to be able to confirm the news that we have won our licence back. We owe everything to our supporters. We really would not have to here today without your unparalleled support and generosity. So many different people stepped up to put their voices to our cause, artists from all corners of the music community, fellow promoters who have put on huge events from us and clubbers from around the world who all united behind us. We’ve even seen people sporting their #savefabric T Shirts on the other side of this planet showing just how big this thing is. So, thank you to all of you. Without the strength of your backing this would not have happened. You saved fabric. We’ll be back with some news about #saveourculture and our next steps when we can."
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has also commented on the news.
JUST ANNOUNCED: @fabriclondon will reopen. Thanks to all who helped find a solution that protects the club’s future & keeps clubbers safe.
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) November 21, 2016
Fabric initially closed temporarily following the deaths of two teenagers from suspected drug overdoses during 2016. More than 150,000 people signed a petition to save the club and a fund of more than £300,000 has been raised to help with the club's legal costs.