LONDON'S CORONET VENUE UNDER THREAT
Elephant & Castle venue has hosted many medium-sized dance events
One of the oldest music venues in London is under threat — The Coronet in Southwark, south London. Situated on the Elephant & Castle roundabout, the converted Victorian cinema has been there for over 140 years — but its days could be numbered.
The 2600-capacity venue, one of the few medium-sized venues in London able to stage dance events til late, has hosted parties from the likes of Together, XOYO, Secretsundaze, Circo Loco and Modular Records in the past. It also hosts a lot of multi-cultural stuff, and has events coming up such as after-parties from Eastern Electrics and the London Bass Music Festival, a Jungle Mania Carnival party on August bank holiday weekend, and a massive UKG fest early next year.
“Our lease is due to expire in November 2015 and we have, so far, not been able to secure a commitment from either our landlord Delancey or Southwark Council that the Coronet can continue to operate in Elephant & Castle,” staff at the Coronet say. “If we don’t get clarity about our future, the Coronet may be forced to close.”
The Coronet employs over 100 members of staff, attracts more than a quarter of a million visitors every year, and brings a large amount of revenue into the local area. Elephant & Castle is undergoing a huge regeneration process at the moment — new developments at one point threatened the future of the world renowned Ministry Of Sound down the road — but there is no reason why The Coronet shouldn't stay a part of the cultural mix for the area.
“We are calling on Delancey and Southwark Council to protect the future of the Coronet in the Elephant, either at our current location or at a suitable alternative site,” the venue says. “We have up to £2m earmarked for improvements, and plan to bring events such as BBC Radio recordings south of the river. But without any commitment from Delancey or the Council, we cannot press ahead with our plans, nor can we reassure our staff who are worried for their jobs.”
A Save The Coronet petition has been set up. It would be great if dance music fans who aren't based in London could also sign the petition, because the loss of venues sympathetic to dance music anywhere in the world ultimately impacts on our scene in a negative way.
Sign the petition here
