Local London theaters and sports centers used by thousands of people every week are under threat of closure within weeks and are today launching a campaign to save them. At a time when finances are under increasing pressure, it is once again the arts and sports that fall victim to council cuts and greedy developers.
Four venues in London are currently under threat – two local theatres, a gymnastics center and a boxing club – and there may be others we don’t yet know about, so we’re calling on our readers to get behind the campaign by highlighting other venues in the risk zone. During our campaign we will highlight the value these venues have in enriching the lives of Londoners, and scrutinize the council’s decision to raise rents by such outrageous amounts that a theater at Wembley or a boxing club in Shadwell have no hope of providing them. . A community theater in Hayes is already slated to close as the council looks to make more money from the site.
As well as swindling money, London’s beloved facilities are under threat from greedy developers looking to buy up lucrative land for profit-making schemes, such as the plan to close a gymnastics center in Beckton, Newham, and replace it with a leisure complex many local people will not be able to afford to visit. Below we describe the four places that are threatened with closure and why.
East London Gymnastic Center – Beckton
East London Gymnastic Center opened its doors in Beckton in 1997 and has supported the careers of several top Olympians, producing a number of Team GB athletes. It is also the place where Hollywood actor Tom Holland learned his stunts for Spider-Man.
But most importantly, the venue in Newham allows hundreds of children every week to take part in gymnastics and other sports outside their doorstep in one of London’s poorest boroughs. The site is home to the East London Gymnastics Club (ELGC), which offers affordable training at prices significantly lower than other clubs in London, meaning that disadvantaged children who might not otherwise be able to participate can do so.
heard from some of these children and their parents about the huge impact the closure would have on them.
Why is it facing closure?
It faces potential closure as a developer intends to buy the site and redevelop it to create a new leisure facility, such as a bowling alley. East London School of Gymnastics, Movement and Dance, the charity which leases the building, was told it has until the end of this year to vacate the premises so the freeholder can sell it.
What hope is there to save it?
An application to designate the site as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) has been submitted to Newham Council. If approved, this would give the community some time to come up with the money to buy the site themselves. A petition to save the venue has over 8,000 signatures so far.
Beck Theater – Hayes
The Beck Theater in Hayes is a community theater that opened in 1977. It runs a program of theater performances and cinemas as well as youth drama groups and gives local children a route into the arts. Its shows are full of local talent – a real venue run by and with locals.
But it will close in January on what is claimed to be a temporary basis, but with no deal in place to allow it to reopen, so people fear the closure will be permanent. have spoken to some of the people who would be devastated by the permanent closure, including Sheila and Ray Kelly who have been going there five times a week for years because it helps with Ray’s dementia.
Why is it facing closure?
The Beck Theater has been at the center of the row between Hillingdon Council and its operator Trafalgar Theaters for several weeks. The council has subsidized the venue with Trafalgar running it on behalf of the council, but the council believes it is putting too much money into it and should not be subsidizing a “commercial theatre”.
A lease expires at the end of this year and negotiations over what happens after that have been disastrous. Trafalgar accused council officials of “unprofessional and, frankly, intimidating” behavior at a meeting between the two parties.
The council, meanwhile, claims Trafalgar reneged on an agreement to run it without subsidy. The talks have twice collapsed due to the row back and forth and accusatory statements between the two parties.
What hope is there to save it?
Hillingdon Council claims the January closure is only temporary and it intends to find a new operator to reopen it. But with the very public row and allegations of unprofessional behaviour, campaigners fear it will be difficult to attract someone else to run it, especially as Trafalgar claim it has been very challenging to run it under the existing contract.
Whether the venue is saved may largely depend on the council not seeing the venue as a commercial operation, but as the beloved community facility that it is. Putting its community value above cost savings will be central to finding an operator to reopen it, if Trafalgar is indeed done with it.
East Lane Theater – Wembley
Like the Beck Theatre, the 75-seat East Lane Theater in Wembley is a real local theatre, with around 16 productions a year by local people. It gives budding actors a platform to launch their careers – in fact, it did just that for award-winning actor Richard David-Caine, who played Chabuddy G’s phone shop manager in cult BBC sitcom People Just Do Nothing.
Not only that, it gives locals a place to meet like-minded people and share in something joyful. But once again, this beloved community facility is threatened with closure. spoke to some of those with links to the theatre, based at the Vale Farm Sports Complex near Wembley Stadium.
Why is it facing closure?
Brent Council owns the building and decided it could fetch a lot more than the £1,500 a year it currently charges East Lane Theater Club (ELTC) to use it. So it has put its rent demands up to £75,000, a staggering sum which the MP for Brent West, Barry Gardiner, said “almost looks like sacrifice”.
The municipality knows that the theater group cannot pay it. It only makes about £2,000 a year of profit which is pumped back into the club. But the council says it can get that much on the open market.
What hope is there to save it?
Hopes of saving the venue depend on whether the council can see the bigger picture of how important a community theater like this is to the people who use it. The £75,000 requested, within the overall council budget, is pocket change. While council budgets are under more pressure than ever, Brent Council must consider the impact of forcing the closure of a facility such as this. So the hope of saving it really rests with people convincing the council that it is worth more than the extra £73,500 a year it thinks it could make.
Broad Street Amateur Boxing Club
In Shadwell, in the borough of Tower Hamlets, the Broad Street Amateur Boxing Club has been in business for 138 years. It trains young people for free in a deprived area of London, providing an outlet to keep them off the streets.
It gives young people structure, confidence and discipline, as well as a safe space to go, but is now facing closure as rent demands have risen by around £64,000 a year. The club has asked for the support of the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, whose own brother has boxed at events the club has organized at The Troxy in Islington in the past.
Why is it facing closure?
Tower Hamlets Council owns the building and wants more money in rent as its finances are strained. Because of its importance to the community, the boxing club has only paid £110 a year in rent since 1957. Now the council is asking for £64,000 a year, an amount the club says is unaffordable and would force it to close.
The club is willing to pay £20,000 a year in rent and proposed this as part of a 30-year lease but this was rejected by the council. have spoken to some of the young people who benefit from the club, about how it has helped keep them on a positive path and open them up to new experiences.
What hope is there to save it?
The future of the club now rests in the courts, as the new market rent will be decided in a legal hearing. The head coach, Ray McCallum, says charging members is not an option because many young people come from low-income backgrounds and grow up in some of the most deprived areas of London.
So the rent decided by the courts may turn out to be prohibitive. The legal process was triggered because the council rejected the club’s request for a long lease. One way to save the club would be for the council to agree a long lease to give the club more long-term security, rather than a shorter community lease.
Let us know about other places that are threatened
want to hear about other community spaces in the city like these that are threatened with closure. If you have information, or just want to support our campaign in any way, email david.comeau@reachplc.com
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