Kentish Town's HMV Forum neighbours take on cage warriors in battle for a quiet life

Published: 7th April, 2011
by JOSIE HINTON

THEY put up with  years of booze-fuelled revellers urinating in their gardens when party event “The Church” was staged in Kentish Town on Sundays.

Now, neighbours of HMV Forum fear their tranquil Easter Sunday could be ruined by the venue’s latest venture – cage fighting.

The club in Highgate Road has applied for a licence to host the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship up to six times a year.

Cage fighting, or mixed martial arts (MMA) as it is known to participants, is a growing phenomenon and three events have already been held over the last year under temporary licences. 

Last month, HMV Forum hosted a clash billed as the biggest women’s fight in UK and European MMA history as Rosi “The Surgeon” Sexton – a Cambridge graduate with a PhD in theoretical computer science – took on Japanese-based American Roxanne Modafferi.

Event organisers say the sport attracts white-collar workers. But the application has brought objections from three residents’ associations and four residents, who fear noise disturbance.

Caroline Hill, a member of residents’ group Kentish Town Road Action, said: “We are very worried about Camden allowing these events. Cage fighting is new to Camden and to The Forum. No one, not least the Forum’s management, have any experience of managing cage-fighting crowds. If this application were to be granted it would be a recipe for disaster in Kentish Town.” 

Lindsey Purchall, of Falkland Road, added: “This type of event is totally unsuited to a densely populated residential area and is more usually held at venues such as the O2 arena or Wembley Stadium.”

Graham Boylan, director of the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship, said: “To be honest, the residents would probably be a lot happier if it was our event on every night.

“The people that come to our events are bankers, brokers, solicitors who want to watch the match and then get the last Tube home. The last event we did we were done and dusted and all gone by 11.45pm. I’m sure it’s music events that cause the real problem.” 

The Forum has incurred the wrath of neighbours before. Relations reached an all-time low when it played host to “The Church”, known for customers’ drunken antics. 

Staff at the HMV Forum could not be reached to discuss the application.