Arches To Appeal Against Club Order

A popular nightclub has announced it is to appeal against a ruling ordering it to close at midnight.

Licensing bosses in Glasgow ruled earlier this month that The Arches will have to shut at that time each night, ending the nightclub operation, after a series of police complaints over drug misuse and disorder.

Club bosses said it could lead to the closure of The Arches as a whole, which also includes arts venues, theatre space, a restaurant and a cafe.

At a meeting with stakeholders, Creative Scotland and senior city officials yesterday, the board of directors for The Arches decided that following legal advice, the venue will proceed with an appeal against the licensing board's decision.

During the meeting they also explored possible avenues for the continuation of the venue's cultural programmes and activity.

The Arches said Creative Scotland and Glasgow City Council have agreed to provide an advance on their agreed 2015-16 funding to support the venue in delivering its current programme in the short-term, and in gaining specialist advice to enable it to properly consider all future options.

Lucy Mason and Mark Anderson, the artistic director and executive director of The Arches, said: "The board of The Arches is grateful for and has agreed to the funding package offered by Creative Scotland and Glasgow City Council, which provides for stability in the short-term as we look to find a more permanent solution in the weeks to come.

"At the same time, having taken appropriate legal advice, we believe there are grounds to appeal the decision of the licensing board and will now proceed on that basis."

Police raised licensing issues last year after the drugs-related death of 17-year-old Regan McColl at the club and a number of other incidents.

The club agreed to implement a number of measures and it remained open, but issues were raised again recently.

More than 37,000 people have signed a petition calling for the reinstatement of its licence.

A group of 400 creative voices, including author Irvine Welsh, actress Ashley Jensen and members of Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian and Franz Ferdinand, have also signed an open letter calling on the Government and creative bodies to ensure The Arches remains as an arts venue.