O2 Academy Brixton facing permanent closure following Met Police warning

Security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, were killed on December 15 last year when fans of Nigerian artist Asake stormed the entrance to the O2 Academy Brixton .

22:25, Tue, Apr 25, 2023 | UPDATED: 22:43, Tue, Apr 25, 2023

The Met Police have been assessing the provision of safety at the O2 Academy Brixton

The Met Police have been assessing the provision of safety at the O2 Academy Brixton (Image: AP )

The Metropolitan Police has called for O2 Academy Brixton, one of London’s most prestigious music venues, to be stripped of its licence following the death of two people last year. The venue has been closed since the incident last December and was due to reopen on April 16, three months after its licence was officially suspended. But the Met revealed that two days prior to the end of the suspension, they “submitted an application for review of the premises licence to Lambeth Council” over fears that the venue was still unsafe.

The infamous south east London venue, which has hosted the likes of Madonna, the Rolling Stones and Kanye West, could be permanently closed if the Labour councillors believe its owners cannot maintain safety properly.

A decision is underway following the Met Police warning and will be announced after a “statutory consultation period”.

Its doors have been closed since the death of Security guard Gaby Hutchinson, 23, and Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, on the third and final day of Asake’s performances at the venue.

The Met said: “On Monday January 16, the licence of the O2 Academy Brixton was suspended for three months.

Roughly 1,000 people were outside the venue on December 15

Roughly 1,000 people were outside the venue on December 15 (Image: TWITTER )

“On April 14, the Met Police submitted an application for a review of (the) premises licence to Lambeth Council and will be seeking a revocation of the licence.

“This matter will be decided at a future council sub-committee hearing on a date to be confirmed.”

The Lambeth councillors are not obliged to heed the advice of the Metropolitan Police but the revocation request will carry significant weight.

The decision to suspend the venue's licence for three months by the council earlier this year was supported by the venue's owner, Academy Music Group (AMG), which offered its condolences to the families of those who died in the incident.

Roughly 1,000 people were outside the venue and when police arrived they found “large-scale disorder” with crowds eventually pushing the doors open, according to Gerald Gouriet KC, who represented the Met Police at the licensing meeting.

A police probe launched shortly after the incident has cast doubt on the ability of the venue to provide a safe environment for gig fans.

But AMG said it was confident that it would be able to “reopen safely” after presenting “detailed proposals” to both the Met and the Lambeth Council.

A spokesperson for the venue owner said: “AMG has cooperated fully with the Metropolitan Police and Lambeth Council since the tragedy at Brixton occurred.

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Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, died following a crowd crush outside an Asake concert

Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, died following a crowd crush outside an Asake concert (Image: AP )

“We have had regular meetings and discussions with the Metropolitan Police and Lambeth Council at which we have presented detailed proposals that we believe will enable the venue to reopen safely.

“AMG has been awaiting feedback on those proposals for several weeks and looks forward to hearing from the police as soon as possible in constructive terms.

“The review of our licence will take place through the formal process with Lambeth Council in due course.”

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said: “On April 14, an application to review the O2 Academy Brixton's licence was submitted by the Met Police. That application is now subject to a statutory consultation period.

“As a result, there are currently two outstanding applications in relation to the venue, the licence variation and the licence review. Lambeth Council will consider both in due course.”