Fabric nightclub to reopen under strict conditions

One of London’s best-known nightclubs, Fabric, is set to reopen after agreeing new licensing conditions with Islington Council.

London’s Fabric nightclub will reopen after agreeing the terms of a strict new licence

In September this year, following an application from the Metropolitan Police, the council decided to revoke Fabric’s licence permanently due to concerns over a “culture of drugs” at the venue

Fabric’s licence had already been suspended following the recent deaths of two 18-year-old men who had been on a night out in Fabric and later suffered from the effects of MDMA.

The men were able to conceal the drugs when entering Fabric and were then able to purchase and take more drugs when inside the club.

After a council sub-committee voted to revoke Fabric’s licence on 6 September, the business appealed the decision.

However, ahead of the planned hearing, a number of meetings took place between Fabric’s directors and senior management, the council and the Metropolitan Police, leading to the agreement of new licensing conditions.

These conditions have been designed to ensure a “zero tolerance approach” to drug possession, consumption and sale within the club, a joint statement from Islington council and Fabric claims.

A new, detailed ISO accredited Operations Manuel has been created to set out how compliance with these conditions should be achieved.

“Fabric accepts that its procedures in relation to searching were insufficient, as were its procedures to prevent the consumption and dealing of drugs within the club itself,” the statement reads.

“Fabric accepts that the police acted reasonably in making the application for a review and that the authority’s sub-committee was fully entitled to revoke its licence. Fabric repudiates the online abuse aimed at committee members and council staff and will permanently exclude anyone who has been found to be involved.

“Fabric is committed to doing all it reasonably can to ensure that no more of its clubbers come to drug-related harm. It also recognises that there need to be, and will be, changes to its management structure and accountability.”

Under the new conditions, only those over 19-years-old will be permitted into the club.

Other conditions include: a new ID scanning system, enhanced searching procedures, covert surveillance, life-time bans for both those found in possession of drugs and those found trying to buy drugs, external auditing of compliance, improved lighting, additional CCTV, and a new security company.