there’s-a-new-campaign-to-save-boxpark-shoreditch-from-closure

There’s a new campaign to save Boxpark Shoreditch from closure

Last week we reported tragic news officially confirming that Boxpark Shoreditch – one of London’s best-loved venues for watching big-ticket sporting events and getting totally drenched in pints – will be closing at the end of the summer. The venue was the first Boxpark and has been open since 2011 – needless to say, it holds a special place in many Londoners’ hearts.

Plenty in the city will no doubt be sad to see Boxpark Shoreditch go, but a new development in the saga could – maybe, just maybe – see the venue saved. The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has just launched a campaign demanding immediate action to save Boxpark Shoreditch.

The NTIA argues that the venue has generated nearly £100 million and brought more than 10 million visitors to the area, saying: ‘Boxpark Shoreditch is more than just a food and entertainment space; it is a vital part of east London’s social and cultural fabric.’

Boxpark is moving out of Shoreditch after talks to extend its lease were unsuccessful. It’s vacating the site to make way for a vast redevelopment project called Bishopsgate Goodsyard, which you can read more about here. The brand’s founder Roger Wade said: ‘Despite our relentless efforts in collaboration with the GLA [Greater London Authority], Hackney Council, and our landlords BGY, we must close due to a planning requirement.’

Wade says he is ‘disheartened’ that Bishopsgate Goodsyard work on the site won’t begin immediately, saying that its neighbour Power League had its lease extended. 

Michael Kill, CEO of the NTIA, said: ‘Boxpark Shoreditch exemplifies the exact issue faced across the country with red tape and restrictive regulatory controls stalling business investment. This has to stop. People are fed up.’

In other words, this might not be the end of Boxpark Shoreditch just yet! You can find out more about the campaign to save the venue (and support it) on the NTIA website here – watch this space for updates.

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