BBE, the independent Black music label that runs a record shop and event space in a railway arch near London Fields, has received notice of an application to review its premises licence.
The review is sought on two grounds, the prevention of crime and disorder and the prevention of public nuisance, according to a statement BBE published on 16 October. BBE has run the shop at Arch 376, 10 Helmsley Place, since 2016.
A petition asking for BBE to keep its existing licence reached 10,000 signatures on 18 October, three days after it was launched on 38 Degrees.
What BBE says
BBE says a residential building went up across the street after the pandemic, on what it calls a largely commercial and industrial street. It says noise complaints against its business and others nearby have increased over the past year.
“We feel we have tried to hear some of the valid complaints and as such, we have worked with Hackney Council to implement noise limiters and acoustic curtains as an example, but there doesn’t appear to be any compromise from what appears to be a specific set of residential neighbours continuing to complain,” BBE said in its statement.
BBE describes the complaints as orchestrated. That claim has not been independently established, and the residents behind the application have not commented publicly.
What a review can do
A licence review does not mean the shop has been told to close. Under the Licensing Act 2003, a council sub-committee can take no action, change the licence conditions, cut hours or activities, or in serious cases revoke the licence. Hackney Council has not yet published a hearing date.
Peter Adarkwah founded BBE in 1996. It started as a club night and became a label for soul, jazz, funk, disco, hip-hop and house, DJ Mag reported.
The essentials
- Where: BBE Store, Arch 376, 10 Helmsley Place, London E8 3SB
- Petition: Save The BBE Store on 38 Degrees
- BBE statement: bbemusic.com