Party on: Late night licence for City Arts and Music Project bar and restaurant at City Road, despite objections
Residents insist music from trendy underground venue, open until 4am, will disturb area
A CELEBRATED house DJ and his partners have won the right to open an arty bar and restaurant until 4am at weekends.
James Priestley, producer, promoter and the man behind the critically acclaimed deep house phenomenon Secretsundaze, is bringing his contacts to Finsbury with City Arts and Music Project (CAMP).
CAMP, which has been running from the ground floor of 70-74 City Road since October, can now expand into the basement and open until midnight from Sunday to Wednesday, 1am on Thursdays and 4am on Friday and Saturday nights.
Councillors at Islington’s licensing committee granted the licence after a two-and-a-half-hour hearing at the Town Hall on Tuesday morning – to the dismay of residents of nearby Lexington apartments and Hill House, who submitted 30 letters of objection.
Originally the owners had asked to be able to open until 2am from Sunday to Wednesday but this was rejected.
Noel McNamee, licensing consultant representing CAMP, which is aimed at “creative” East London customers, said the venue “will work to provide a platform for up-and-coming local artists and musicians, showcasing their works”.
He added: “To make this business financially viable extra trading hours are essential. There’s no doubt about that whatsoever.”
Mr Priestley, who is the company’s creative director, was cited as holding the best club night of the year by Mixmag and Time Out for his Secretsundaze sessions.
He said the club would attract cutting-edge DJs and live music, adding that it had opened a kiosk selling crêpes with parma ham and mozzarella, not kebabs.
He said: “We’ll be having monthly exhibitions with guest curators. The music will be across the board, from jazz to indie to electro stuff – everything that’s kind of cutting edge, exciting, that’s going on across London at the moment.”
He added: “We’re on the edge of Shoreditch. I’ve lived there for the best part of five years. For me the area’s going down. I want the venue to be a good reason for people to come there.”
Neighbours complained of hearing heavy basslines coming from the club in the early hours of the morning, of disturbances from smokers gathering outside and of anti-social behaviour and increased rubbish dropped on the streets by departing clubbers.
Shaun Murkett, a noise consultant employed by CAMP said: “You can’t hear a squeak outside. The visitors from the noise team haven’t heard any noise.
“The building’s underground. We’ve had many meetings and any measures that can prevent noise breakout have been put in place.”
Lib Dem Bunhill ward councillor Ruth Polling, representing residents who couldn’t attend the hearing, said there were concerns that clubbers would use the bus stop directly outside The Lexington [apartments] as it is the “most logical” stop to use when returning to East London – causing further disturbance.
She added: “Things aren’t insurmountable. Discussions we’ve had in the past have led to some compromises.
“But what’s been presented today is not enough for residents.”
Peter Goodwin, who lives in neighbouring Hill House, said: “You’re saying measures are in place. We’re saying that with those measures in place we can still hear the bassline.
Yvonne MacAlpine, director of the Lexington Apartments management board, said people who lived in her building held 9 to 5 jobs and needed their sleep.
Speaking after the hearing, she said: “All we really want is a compromise.
“We’re a block of workers. We’re deeply disappointed by the outcome. Noise at 4am for workers is not an option.”
RÓISÍN GADELRAB