Lakota has been cleared in a licensing review after a resident claimed the club was linked to a nearby illegal rave.
The major Bristol club, off Stokes Croft, faced questions from councillors about whether it played a part in a rave on Portland Square. The rave was held on the same night as Stokes Croft Block Party, on May 14, an event organised by Lakota across 10 venues in the area.
Lakota denied having any link with the illegal rave, during a licensing hearing at Bristol City Council, but promised to work with locals who had raised concerns. Councillors said there 'hasn’t been any evidence' that the club wasn’t complying with its licence.
Read more: Lakota cleared in licensing review after resident claims link with nearby illegal rave
The licensing hearing took place after complaints from a local resident, Sophie Cooper, who said she fled the area on May 14 after feeling unsafe. She also claimed dealers were selling laughing gas canisters 'the size of fire extinguishers' outside Lakota, which the club denied. She requested the council change the club’s licence, to bring closing time from 4am to 2am.
She said: “I had just done a 12-hour shift as a carer, and I realised the situation was out of control. I phoned the police and left the area. I didn’t take footage of what was happening because it was frightening being there. I went home to my parents in Redland.
“This licence was appropriate 10 years ago, but the amount of housing squeezed into there now means it affects so many more people. It’s very difficult to deal with at night. I feel Lakota has been let down by planning, there’s so much that has been agreed there. Lakota should have been more involved in planning decisions.”
It’s not clear who organised the illegal rave on Portland Square, but it’s thought that hundreds of people attended. More than 3,000 people bought tickets for the Block Party event, with a wristband giving access to 10 venues.
Lakota said five security guards were monitoring the area outside of the club, during the Block Party event, and more than 20 bouncers were working within the club. Representatives for the club told councillors that events held there were “culturally important” to Bristol, and should not be unfairly restricted. Its licence allows for seven outdoor events held each year.
Piers Warne, a licensing lawyer representing Lakota, said: “There’s absolutely no association between that rave and Lakota. It was not part of the Block Party. Lakota takes very seriously dispersal and crowd management of their customers. The right of a business, to continue its operation when the world around it changes, has to be protected.”
He added that the club was protected from noise complaints coming from newly built housing nearby, through the ‘agent of change’ principle. Lakota, run by the Burgess family, opened in 1992 and is considered one of the best clubs in the country.
The licensing hearing granted the renewal of Lakota’s licence, with minor changes. These included a request from the club to allow customers to take drinks to the outside smoking area, to help tackle drink spiking.
Councillor Marley Bennett, chair of the hearing, said: “We do not consider that there has been any evidence of the crime and disorder, public safety or protection of children from harm licensing objectives from being undermined. Of particular note is the absence of any representations from the police.”
