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Royal Vauxhall Tavern - news and discussion

There was a piece about this in last weeks Evening standard, something about the owners warn that listing will hasten its demise. (sounds suspicious to me) I'll try and find a link when I have time.

I'm very worried.
 
Thanks Reno, please keep us updated when you hear stuff.

Is it possible we could start a fund for community ownership - theres a lot of rich gay people out there. I wonder if anyone is working on this? I'm not rich, but I'd pledge something if our venue could have its future secured. I misspent a lot of time there, very fond memories and I'd hate to lose it.

Listing is no guarentee of security if what happened at the Black Cap is anything to go by. Seems like money can ride roughshod over any planning objections. Soon there will be no gay venues and no gay culture. I know we are no longer legally oppressed and in need of our safe hideaways, but we have a rich heritage of protest, subversion, music, caberet and fun that London/world would be poorer without.
 
By the way I'm trying to get a few mates along to Club Wotever (for girls, boys, wotever) one tuesday evening soon - if anyone else fancies joining in please pm me.
 
“We’re chuffed to bits but our work isn’t finished! We’re now calling upon Immovate to finally talk to us, so we can all ensure this special venue continues to flourish at what it does best: serving the community.

“If Immovate don’t think they can make the Tavern work as a listed pub, we invite them to open discussions about a community buy-out. Sell it to a group of people who actually have faith in the commercial viability of this phenomenal venue. We have the means to do this and some exciting ideas about how the RVT could be improved for everybody.
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Yes! I hope we can buy it as a community and secure it.
 
Our application to Lambeth Council for sui generis status was progressing nicely (pictured above: the application notice put up by the Council). After all, it’s a clear case – everyone knows the Tavern’s been an LBGTQ venue for 50+ years.

But at our meeting with the council to discuss the application, who should turn up unannounced to object but a planning consultant working for the owners! And not just any consultant, but Mark Pender of PPM Planning, which boasts on its website about securing permission to demolish the Lilian Baylis School, a Grade II-listed building barely 300 metres from the RVT, to build luxury flats.
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:mad:
 
Just got this message from the RVT re discussion event next soon Thursday 19 January.- wondered if anyone else was interested in going along
Free event: 50 More Years of Queers?

Hello,

There's exciting news on the horizon about our sui generis application, and our bid to buy the Tavern... but for now, we're hosting an evening of discussion, cabaret, drinking and dancing. Come down, pose your questions and enjoy the show!

This year the LGBTQ+ community celebrates half a century since the decriminalisation of male homosexuality - time to pop a champagne cork or two, and to look ahead. It’s an opportunity to consider how LGBTQ+ life in London will look in the next 50 years, and how we can evolve and protect our queer spaces.

We’d love you to join us for a 50 More Years of Queers? evening of discussion, drinks and dancing at the Grade II listed Royal Vauxhall Tavern, on Thursday 19 January.

Your host for the night is London’s new Night Czar and former RVT Future Chair, Amy Lamé, who’ll lead a panel discussing the challenges faced by London’s queer venues. How can our spaces be improved for all members of the LGBTQ+ community, and what’s next for the campaign to bring the RVT into community ownership?

Then we turn the stage over to some of the RVT’s finest performers and DJs, to remind us what it is we’re here to celebrate and champion!

Doors 7pm

Panel discussion / Q&A 7.30pm

Followed by acts and music

Panellists:

  • Juno Dawson (multi-award-winning author and promoter of Club Silencio)
  • Rob Holley (co-chair of RVT Future, charity campaigner and promoter of Push The Button)
  • Jack Hopkins (Labour Councillor for Oval; Lambeth Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Business and Culture)
  • Chardine Taylor-Stone (DJ, activist and writer)
Acts:

  • The LipSinkers (pictured)
  • Lasana Shabazz
  • Myra Dubois
  • Scottee
  • Calvin Decline
DJ line-up:

  • Alice Beverton-Palmer (Push The Button)
  • DJ Butch, Please! (Butch, Please!)
  • DJ Ritu (Club Kali)
  • Jo Bunny (Wotever)
Free ticketed entry - suggested donation of £5 on the door which will go towards the RVT Future campaign.

Tickets: 50 More Years of Queers?

If you have any questions that you'd like to ask the panel (or views that you think could help shape the discussion) email us [email protected]. We'll do our best to address anything that's within topic - please keep it classy.
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Just to let you all know the RVT is still not safe - this is where things are now

I went along to the RVT future evening on the 19th Jan '17 '50 years of queers'. There was a panel discussion with Q&A (and cabaret afterwards) Amy Lamé, London’s Night Czar and former RVT Future Chair, led the panel discussing the challenges faced by London’s queer venues.
  • Juno Dawson (multi-award-winning author and promoter of Club Silencio)
  • Rob Holley (co-chair of RVT Future, charity campaigner and promoter of Push The Button)
  • Jack Hopkins (Labour Councillor for Oval; Lambeth Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Business and Culture)
  • Chardine Taylor-Stone (DJ, activist and writer)
Basically the latest is that the owners (austrian property company) have been refused all planning permission.
RVT has Asset of community Value which means that the owners are supposed to offer it for sale to the community first, but they had already put it on the market.
The building /freehold has been offically valued at £2.5million, but the owners are asking for £3.5million.
The rvt future organisation now wants to form a community owned co op, raise the cash, buy the building and run it for the benefit of the LGBTQ+ community.
Watch the site for news. Spread the word. Save the RVT!

Home - Future of the Royal Vauxhall Tavern
Over the last 18 months, the RVT Future campaign has made huge strides. We’ve secured the Royal Vauxhall Tavern Asset of Community Value status, Grade II listing with Historic England, we’ve seen the Vauxhall Conservation Area expand to include the Tavern, and we’re waiting to hear about the Sui Generis status our punters, promoters and performers all pitched in to help us apply for.

But it’s not enough. As long the RVT is owned by anyone led by greedy shareholders and investors, the Tavern will be under threat.

So the next step of our campaign to ensure a thriving future for the Royal Vauxhall Tavern is our most ambitious yet. We want to protect this iconic space for future generations of LGBTQ+ people by undertaking the UK’s biggest ever community buy-out.

Expect an all-guns-blazing fundraising campaign in late November, but right now we’re looking for major donors who want to be part of LGBTQ+ history to step forward and do something amazing.

An RVT owned by and run for the LGBTQ+ community – just think what a beautiful thing that could be. Workshops led by world-class artists and performers… space for a Queer museum… better accessibility for all… and of course, there will be dancing.

By god, there will be dancing.

With your help, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern could build on its popularity and incomparable history to become the hub of LGBTQ+ life which London deserves.

We’ll be launching a public share offer very soon, in the meantime we need some fabulous benefactors to open up their wallets to get us off to a flying start. Can you help us secure the Royal Vauxhall Tavern for future generations of LGBTQ+ people? To hear our plans and to talk to the team about how you might be able to help please email [email protected].
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Meant to say, I really want to own a piece of the RVT.

I mean where else could a middle aged lesbian possibly go at nearly 1pm in the morning, with no ID, enjoy a a sweaty dance and get chatted up by a 20 year old woman! well that was a great end to my saturday night! Oooo I love the RVT.
 
I think this is brilliant - I'm pretty sceptical of the whole asset of community value thing given the tiny numbers of places that have managed it but the RVT should be an ideal candidate for actually making it work.:cool:

That said I'd be wary of this:

friendofdorothy said:
well more fun than a saving account anyway. It is a profitable business so there should be a return for investors.
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because I don't think a community interest company will (or should) be paying out any dividends or anything like that. I'd check but I think those profits will be reinvested and not available to investors so it's not going to make a return on investment if that's what you're after.
 
Monkeygrinder's Organ said:
That said I'd be wary of this:



because I don't think a community interest company will (or should) be paying out any dividends or anything like that. I'd check but I think those profits will be reinvested and not available to investors so it's not going to make a return on investment if that's what you're after.
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yes you are quite right - nothing has been decided or announced yet. I'll edit to correct.

I was thinking of the Ivy House which was bought by the community after getting ACV status - I beleive they have some return for shareholders. The RVT will need some money spent on it too to make it more accessible (it has no wheelchair accessible loos for a start).
 
Ok the RVT are raising money for their legal costs - I urge anyone and everyone who has ever had a good night out there or hopes to do so again - or just cares about the disappearing nightlfe and performance spaces. PLEASE give what you can.

Donate here: Help raise £30000 to set up a Community Benefit Society - the first step towards a community buy-out of the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.


Three ways you can help save the RVT - February 2017

Hello ,

There’s a lot to update you on – good and bad. The RVT is on the market once again, so we’re raising money for a Fighting Fund to help the community buy it. We’ve also launched a Community Survey to make sure our bid meets everyone’s needs. And there’s good news about our Sui Generis application. Read on and find out how you can ACT NOW to help save the RVT.



We need you to do these three things now.


1. Have a read. Be informed.

The good news is that – thanks to hundreds of you! – the RVT now has Sui Generis status. This is a council planning protection that recognises the Tavern as a distinctive combination of pub, club and performance venue. We hoped LGBTQ+ status would be recognised too but the council decided this would be vulnerable to legal challenge. Even so, Sui Generis is a nightmare for would-be developers. Now the Tavern's owners can't just decide to turn it into a regular pub or to convert the upstairs into private flats.

The bad news is that the Tavern is up for sale again – and an offer has been accepted. An unknown buyer is exploiting a loophole to bypass ACV status that gives the community a legal right to bid. Second-hand reports claim the RVT will remain an LGBTQ+ venue. But says who? And what’s to stop them changing their mind? We urge the secret bidder to reveal themselves.

The fate of the Royal Vauxhall Tavern shouldn't depend on the whim of people who exploit loopholes and ignore the community. RVT Future has always believed the only way to truly safeguard the Tavern is through community ownership. Which brings us to…



2. Donate to the RVT Future Fighting Fund

The Fighting Fund we launched last week will help RVT Future take the first step towards community ownership. Your donation will help set up the Community Benefit Society needed to offer shares in the ownership of the pub to the LGBTQ+ public. To do this, RVT Future need to pay for professional and legal help with the procedures and paperwork which will ensure the building is properly managed and run by its future shareholding members for the LGBTQ+ community.

We’re nearly halfway to our £30K target and we need your help to reach it. Donate here: Help raise £30000 to set up a Community Benefit Society - the first step towards a community buy-out of the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.

With your help, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern will survive and thrive - building on its popularity and incomparable history to become the hub of LGBTQ+ life London deserves.



3. Share our community survey

We want to make sure we’re listening to the whole LGBTQ+ community - which means anyone who might use a community-owned RVT. Answering just 20 questions will be invaluable in shaping our plans, identifying how many people would be interested in buying a share of the pub, and in volunteering to help us make all this happen.

Fill out the survey here - and please, please share it on social media/by email/letter/carrier pigeon as soon as you’ve pressed submit.

Together we can keep the RVT thriving. See you at the bar!



Copyright © 2017 RVT Community, All rights reserved.
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So far they have 51% of the £30000 they need to start with!
Weʼre raising £30,000 to set up a Community Benefit Society - the first step towards a community buy-out of the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
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that's 313 people have given £15,564.
 
Now up to 54%!

£16,454 raised of £30,000 target, by 334 supporters. hooray.

If you love the RVT please do help if you can.
 
Will sort something in a bit. Haven't been there as much as I really ought to have over the years (couple of Duckies, one particularly memorable night with Tina C :D) as I seemed to end up at different LGBT venues. Legendary and important place though. I'm staying with a mate in Battersea one weekend in March though so might have to get myself down there :hmm:
 
stethoscope said:
Will sort something in a bit. Haven't been there as much as I really ought to have over the years (couple of Duckies, one particularly memorable night with Tina C :D) as I seemed to end up at different LGBT venues. Legendary and important place though. I'm staying with a mate in Battersea one weekend in March though so might have to get myself down there :hmm:
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Ahh! Tina C 'putting the cunt into country', I saw her down the vauxhall too, some time ago.

I think there is a danger we could lose all our queer venues if something doesn't change. We've already lost so many including the legendry Black Cap. Its a ridulous situation when a popular and profitable place can be under threat.

PS they have raised 55% now (the bigger challenge is still ahead - to sell it to the community by raising 2.5-4 millions needed to buy the place)
 
The tavern was sold by the owners to Imovate an Austrian company with a lease of three years given to one of the former owners while they got planning permission to flatten the tavern and build a 15 story hotel (it was never going to happen due to the small foot print of the tavern and height restriction on that side of railway track). The second option of building flats on top and stopping the pub carrying on it's traditional activities was stopped by lambeth and a sui generis application. Imovate refuse to talk to the any of the community about its sale and this underhand legal method of onward sale to faucet taverns is under way. I think they want to ensure that as they have lost money the community will not prevail. Not sure how this can be stopped but I've stuck some money in the fighting fund and would be willing to buy some shares.
 
Fill out our community survey: Community ownership: we want to hear from you - Future of the Royal Vauxhall Tavern

Community ownership: we want to hear from you
We want to make sure we’re listening to the whole LGBTQ+ community – which means anyone who might use a community-owned RVT. Answering just 20 questions will be invaluable in shaping our plans, identifying how many people would be interested in buying a share of the pub, and in volunteering to help us make all this happen.

Fill out the survey here – and please, please share it on social media/by email/letter/carrier pigeon as soon as you’ve pressed submit.
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