XXL London is facing eviction after being served a notice by venue owners, but it’s not leaving without a fight.
Under a railway bridge in Southwark, backing on to the river Thames just a stone’s throw from London Bridge is one of the biggest gay venues in London. Each Saturday night, XXL London draws over 2,000 men through the doors of Pulse nightclub to listen to world-class DJs, providing a safe space for gay men in their thirties and upwards. On the 24th of June, the club was served an eviction notice by property developers and new landlords Native Land that stated they would have to vacate the property within three months.
The club faced similar challenges back in 2012 when Southwark Council informed the club that they had overturned their planning permission. They appealed the decision, embarking on a 15-month-long legal battle which culminated in a 13-hour-long planning tribunal where a judge ultimately ruled in their favour. According to club owners, the developers were ordered to redesign their scheme to incorporate the gay nightclub into it and were assured that their place at Pulse was secure for the long term. Unfortunately after coming under new ownership and Native Land became their new landlords, a notice was served. The move was soon pegged as “social cleansing” by the club, with plans to replace the club with a £1.3bn apartment, hotel and office development.
Having opened back in the year 2000, the XXL London brand has surged in popularity, employing forty people at the club that opens every Wednesday and Saturday. The club’s surrounding borough, Southwark, has the second-highest density of gay, lesbian and bisexual people of any borough in the UK, but only has one gay club, and a handful of gay bars. This is the latest blow in the trend of LGBT+ venue closures, with only 53 of them open in 2017 compared to 125 in 2006 according to research by University College London. Just last month Bloc South in Vauxhall closed its doors having only opened in 2017.
Club founders Mark Ames and James McNeil have accused developers of homophobia after plans for a proposed LGBTQ cultural venue weren’t adopted as part of the development. Two of the main investors are from Malaysia and Singapore, where gay sex is illegal, who may have had an influence in making that decision. Following the notice, XXL London launched a protest campaign, hosting a “Save Our Scene” XXL London Pride party on Saturday the 6th of July with guest DJ Pagano, and walking in the Pride March. They have also launched an online petition titled “Stop XXL London’s eviction from their current venue”, looking for 2,500 signatures to support their cause.
Sign the Petition to save XXL London from eviction on Change.org. Just search “Stop XXL London’s Eviction”.
