Dance Tunnel did not apply to extend licence, Hackney Council confirms

By Hackney Citizen | Tuesday 12 April 2016 at 18:26
Dance Tunnel artwork credit Nick Cobby

Tiny dancer: the intimate 220-capacity venue will run no more after August. Image: Nick Cobby

Dalston nightclub Dance Tunnel has not applied to extend its licensing hours for over two years, despite citing Hackney’s “impossible licensing climate” as a reason for its closure, the council has confirmed.

The Kingsland High Street venue announced in a statement yesterday that it would shut its doors in August, saying: “Sadly the licensing climate in Hackney has made it impossible for us to get the hours we need to make Dance Tunnel sustainable in the long term.”

As petitions were launched to “save” the nightclub, Hackney Council today defended itself against the comments. A spokesperson said: “Dance Tunnel has a premises licence to operate until 3am.

“They have not applied to extend their opening hours for over two years. They have however been able to operate regularly until 5am using Temporary Event Notices.

“We are proud of the borough’s reputation as a night-time destination. However, we need to balance the needs of businesses against the rights of our residents to a good night’s sleep, and as both our population and night time economy grow, that is becoming increasingly hard to do.”

The Hackney Citizen asked Dance Tunnel why it had not applied for a licence extension, and what precisely it meant by Hackney’s “impossible licensing climate”, but the basement nightspot declined to comment.

But a second statement, posted on Facebook today, said that Dance Tunnel is looking for a “space” that was subject to “fewer compromises”.

It reads: “We are extremely humbled by the response to yesterday’s announcement, and the fact that Dance Tunnel means so much to so many people.

“It hasn’t been an easy decision to make, but for us Dance Tunnel’s future lies elsewhere – we still feel that London is still missing the club it truly deserves.

“We need to regroup and look further afield to find a space where we are subject to fewer compromises. We would like to offer our heartfelt and sincere thanks to everyone who has been in touch to offer support.”

Shortly after yesterday’s announcement tributes rolled in from prominent music industry figures, including DJs Ben UFO and Seth Troxler, Dalston based-radio NTS, and fellow London venue fabric:

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