Council consents to quashing of permission affecting site of famous nightclub

The London Borough of Lambeth has this month agreed that planning permission for redevelopment of the site of a well-known nightclub in Brixton should be quashed.

The permission affecting Club 414 was quashed by consent in the High Court by order of Mr Justice Gilbart. It had been granted by planning officers at the council under delegated powers.

Club 414, which is owned by Louise Barron, has been in business since 1985. It is now a specialist house and trance nightclub.

Barron’s legal team – Jonathan Clay and Matt Lewin of Cornerstone Barristers, instructed by Riz Majid of Neumans LLP – advanced seven grounds of challenge to the grant of planning permission.

Mr Justice Collins gave permission for all those grounds to be argued. A full hearing had been schedule for last week (18 May) but both Lambeth and the developer agreed that the permission should be quashed.

According to Cornerstone, Lambeth would not agree to a statement of reasons that included unlawful delegation as a reason for quashing the planning permission.

The council would not accept either that the Court could make an order requiring the planning application to be re-determined by its planning committee.

Cornerstone said Lambeth did accept that it had failed to consider the (then emerging) Lambeth Local Plan, which was adopted just one week after the grant of permission.

The Local Plan recognises the importance of protecting the night-time economy in Brixton and supports leisure uses where they contribute to the vitality and viability of Brixton town centre, Cornerstone added.

In addition to quashing the planning permission, Mr Justice Gilbart ordered Lambeth and developer to pay the claimant’s legal costs. 

A spokeswoman for Lambeth said: “The planning permission has been quashed by consent. The council will have to redetermine the application in due course.”