Thekla: What Happens Next?

In a city brimming with venues and musical hubs, it's a uniquely brilliant space, and there aren't many places quite like it in the country... because it's a freaking boat.

Thekla has a storied history: built almost 60 years ago in Germany as a merchant ship, it originally ferried cargo over the seas before being snapped up as a theatre (of sorts) in the '80s by Ki Longfellow-Stanshall and Vivian Stanshall (The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band). Transformed into The Old Profanity Showboat, hundreds of productions and performers of all kinds graced its stage - including Rik Mayall, Tangerine Dream, Joe Strummer, and John Peel - before it became a nightclub in the '90s, becoming a base for the city's dance scenes, and seeing local outfits such as Massive Attack and Portishead perform. Banksy even left his mark on the hull (twice).

The fact that a venue of this much importance to its home city and the nation's musical fabric is under threat is, sadly, not surprising. 35% of all small UK music venues closed between 2007 and 2015 - it's been written about extensively (Metro, the BBC, The Independent, The Guardian and more are just a few outlets who've looked into the issue), and it's still worryingly common. Leeds' Cockpit, The Arches in Glasgow, Madame Jojo's in London, and lots more iconic spots have shuttered in recent years, and Thekla could join the unfortunate list, but there's no way they or the citizens of Bristol will let it go without a fight. Especially not to another luxury developer (a particularly sore topic in a city with a dire need for more affordable housing)

The venue - a favourite with local and touring bands - hosts regular live music and club nights. The likes of Portishead/Beak>'s Geoff Barrow, Katy B, Fickle Friends, Roni Size, LOW, Wheatus, Amber Run, Tim Burgess of The Charlatans, Gabrielle Aplin, and Lauren Aquilina all voiced their support for the #SaveThekla campaign within hours of the news breaking.

But is it all really a problem?

After all, Thekla is a boat - it can move. Also, the Redcliffe Wharf development, five years in planning by developers Complex Development Projects (CDP), would be located 150 metres from the musical vessel itself, and would seek to convert a range of derelict buildings into "affordable homes, office, and leisure space". More affordable properties is great, right? There was even a noise assessment to take Thekla's volumes into account.

"Sensible and adequately planned residential developments near grassroots music venues like the Thekla mean that residents and music lovers can happily co-exist," says Mark Davyd of The Music Venue Trust in a statement. "That outcome starts at the planning application stage when a good developer recognises the cultural value of the existing music venue and takes steps to protect it. Recognising the existence of an iconic music venue like Thekla starts with a thorough environmental impact study that specifically understands the noise in the area."

Unfortunately, the process hasn't been as smooth as it should've been.

For a start, although Thekla can technically move, there aren't permanent moorings big enough anywhere else - and even if there were, these would likely be surrounded by residential areas already. DHP, who own Thekla (alongside other important UK venues such as Oslo, Rock City, and The Borderline), claim that a "woefully inadequate" noise assessment carried out took place on a quiet Monday and Tuesday (when Thekla could well have been closed). As well as this, the developers are only making three of the 36 homes affordable in order to protect profits - well under the Bristol council's required 20-40%.

A spokesman tells us that although Bristol City Council’s current "Local Plan policy" requires developers to ensure a certain amount of affordable properties are in each sheme, this figure is actually "subject to scheme viability which is in accordance with national planning policy."

"If it is shown that a development cannot provide our target level of affordable housing whilst remaining viable or profitable," the statement continues, "then a reduced level has to be accepted. In this case, officers recommended that the proposals could accommodate 8% affordable homes and that this should be provided on the development site. This was accepted by the Development Control Committee when they decided to grant planning permission for the development."

Given the massive discount on the land - as Bristol Post point out, it was sold for just under £777,000 while similar plots in the area went for multiple millions - it seems odd that CDP still can't afford to build more affordable properties. On the face of it it seems fishy - especially when there's a £2.8 million shortfall in the parks budget - but it's not as simple as a poor business deal.

"Bristol is in urgent need of more housing," continues the council's spokesperson. "The site on Redcliffe Wharf has been earmarked for a mix of uses including housing, employment, leisure, and areas of public space in the local plan. It is a complex plot of land on which to build which has many restrictions due to the historic context of the site being so close to St. Mary Recliffe Cathedral and the Floating Harbour. Our planning and property teams have spent a total of five years negotiating with the developer to address these issues and to find a deal which could lead to the redevelopment of this long derelict piece of land."

So it's reasonable that the land, which otherwise would've gone to waste, was sold under market average - there are only certain ways it can be used and these appear to be restrictive. Whether CDP could do more about the levels of affordable housing is another matter - but they definitely seem to have done their due diligence in the half a decade spent planning the development.

So how did it get to the point where Thekla was under threat?

A council planning committee meeting took place on 8 November to discuss the proposals, which had already been recommended for approval, and Thekla's concerns. Despite the venue's #SaveThekla campaign asking for a deferral on the decision - which drew national attention - the development was approved for construction.

"There were three possible outcomes," Thekla general manager Alex Black tells us, "withdrawal from the developer, deferral so we could work with them for the assessment, or approval as it is. In the end everything got approved so it was the worst outcome possible but realistically it was what we expected."

"Music venues in the UK are under threat constantly, in Bristol alone we’ve seen flats appear next to the O2 Academy, The Fleece, The Louisiana, and The Exchange," adds Black of the potential impact to Thekla. "The more residential dwellings near venues means the higher chance for noise complaints. If the council receives enough complaints eventually they’ll put restrictions in place which could leave us unable to run a viable music venue. No one wants to go to a gig or a club night with an 8pm curfew."

The meeting - a long one by all accounts - talked at length about Thekla and the media campaign. "They certainly heard us, whether or not they listened is another matter," says Black. "The developers did speak to us and say they’d be keen to work with us, but they have no obligation to so we’ll have to wait and see."

Redcliffe Wharf's approval requires a second sound assessment to be completed and approved by the Environmental Health Officer, but Thekla aren't necessarily going to be in the loop there - though the Thekla team hope that developers CDP will include them during the process. There does seem to be hope - local paper the Bristol Post note: "CDP’s development director Gary Hale told the panel he was an avid music fan and said closing Thekla was 'the last thing we want to do'."

As well as this, Redcliffe Wharf won't be the closest residential premises to Thekla, even when it's complete. We spoke with local councillor Martin Fodor, who chaired the planning meeting, and he points out that houseboats in the area are even closer than the development - and they've managed with the current noise levels (although new residents could feasibly take issue).

He also notes that this isn't a simple planning matter - it is also a licensing issue (which involves a separate set of people).

"We talked about lots of things [at the meeting]," says Fodor. "But this situation got a lot of attention from the committee. When that happens I'm pretty confident our planning officers take note of what the priorities are."

The developers have promised to include "high-quality glazing" throughout the development, which should help soundproof the properties, and Fodor says that they will ensure that promises like these are kept during the construction process: "We can say what we want to see, and our officers will do their best to follow that guidance we set... if there's ever any doubt, people can appeal to planning enforcement."

"We're being fair to both sides," Fodor continues. "I of course want [Thekla] to continue, I've been many times, but I am conscious that as a planning committee we have to take note of everything. As well as that, licensing of music venues is a completely different policy area - and those responsible for that will do their best for all parties, I'm sure."

"I understand that they feel disappointment, I do, but we got a strong set of assurances [from the developers]," says Fodor. "...it was also suggested that those selling the apartments, perhaps an agent acting for the developer, should draw attention to the local nightlife and make it clear that there's a venue in the vicinity. They have a responsibility to the buyers to do that so people know what they're getting into. They're not buying into a quiet field miles away from everywhere."

Fodor adds: "I would like to also say all music venues should pay attention to developments in the area - Thekla's campaign launched just 24 or 36 hours before the committee was due to meet, and that's a very late stage. More people could've made more statements had they registered the issues several days earlier - a petition could be formally presented to the committee by Thekla, for instance."

"But at the end of the day it isn't us that have created the law regarding noise complaints - it's the government that allows it... we can only do what we're allowed to do. Something like a legislative change could help in future."

Legislative change might well be on the horizon - although that's probably a deeply optimistic view with the ongoing palaver in Parliament. Bristol East MP Kerry McCarthy, who supported a similar campaign involving fellow Bristol venue The Fleece, says she's sponsoring a new bill that could help protect venues. Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire, whose constituency includes Thekla and the area around it, has also voiced support for the campaign, and Thekla are in touch with both MPs.

While the ultimate approval of the development in its current state was far from ideal, hope is not lost for Thekla. The developers and the council appear to genuinely appreciate the status and importance of the venue, and both are hoping to work with Thekla to reach a compromise that benefits all parties. However, as Thekla have mentioned, there is no obligation by the developers - and if the bottom line starts to come under pressure (as it did with the affordability quota), something they deem unnecessary spending may have to make way. Continuing to apply pressure may stop the needs of Thekla being deemed unnecessary - if enough artists, local people, and organisations are backing the venue, CDP may continue to toe the line... even if just to avoid a PR disaster. That and the planning committee are aiming to hold them to account as best they can.

"First and foremost: the show must go on," says Thekla's Alex Black of the venue's next steps. "I want to reassure our customers that whilst our future may be less certain than it was this time last week, we’re not closing at any point soon. We’re going to continue with our #SaveThekla campaign and make sure everyone involved is well aware that our concerns won’t go away. The outpouring of support from everyone has been incredible; we’re still inviting people to use the hashtag #SaveThekla and keep fighting for us. We’re keeping everyone updated via social media and hopefully we’ll have some better news to update you with in the future."