New £1.5 million LGBTQ+ venue coming to South London
A new LGBTQ+ venue worth up to £1.5 million is coming to South London as soon as 2026. The move comes in stark contrast to the recent closure of many of London's LGBTQ+ venues.
The venue, at Bankside Yards, reportedly at the former gay men’s club XXL, will be a cultural hub for the LGBTQ+ community. It will include both a theatre and a workspace.
Funding for the project, of up to £1.5 million, will come from Southwark Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy. This pot is made up of money which developers pay towards local improvement and services when they build in the borough.
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The move comes amid the closure of many of London's LGBTQ+ venues. More than half of these venues have closed in London between 2006 and 2022, the BBC reports.
Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Sustainable Development said: “These are major project that will directly benefit residents and businesses and help us to build a better and fairer Southwark for all.
“Our LGBTQ+ community will massively benefit from the new space and the facilities on offer, and we’re also investing to make sure that both a new site with 100 per affordable housing and the Bakerloo Line Extension can happen.
“Making sure money from developers is reinvested back into our communities is a vital part of what we do and we’ll keep ensuring that money goes towards making a real difference and improving life for the people of Southwark.”
The site is above the planned Bakerloo line extension tunnel. The funding will also pay for engineering work to reduce vibration and noise so the tunnel is not affected by the building above.
Southwark Council also allocated £50,000 of the funding towards accessibility improvements at Nunhead Station, £30,000 towards the Bakerloo Line Extension Funding Study and £2.4 million towards a 100 percent affordable housing scheme on Old Kent Road.
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