Save BGWMC!

Hi there— we are a group performers, punters, programmers, and trade union members trying to protect Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club from being sold to developers. This is the campaign to preserve the club as an LGBTQ+ performance venue, and protect the building as a vital asset in shared community ownership.

Read more about our plans and how you can help!

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IMPORTANT UPDATE

Tower Hamlets Council say Bethnal Green Working Men's Club can only be used as a cultural venue

In response to an application from Equity, the Principal Planning Officer for Tower Hamlets has confirmed the position of the Local Authority in relation to the existing use class and policy protection for cultural venue retention.

They have recognised the significance of the venue saying, “From the range of evidence available to the public online, along with representations submitted and internal records, it appears that the lawful use of Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club is as a performance venue, nightclub and members club (Sui generis use class) … It is clear and common knowledge that the site is a cultural venue. It is also well known that the site has become a key LGBTQ+ night-time space in London.”

They go on to outline reams of policy protection within Tower Hamlets Local Plan, GLA’s London Plan, and City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework which would seek to protect and retain the existing use of the venue.

They also say that: “If a proposed development did not retain the existing cultural venue then it would adversely impact on race, age, gender reassignment and sexual orientation protected characteristic groups, which would further weigh against such a proposal from a Council perspective.”

This refers to the Council’s obligation to pay due regard to The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) contained in Section 149 (1) of the Equality Act (2010).

We need your help now more than ever!

While we welcome Tower Hamlets’ response saying they will not allow developers to use the venue for non-cultural purposes, Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club remains at risk. As has happened to so many other LGBTQ+ venues, such as the Joiners Arms, the biggest danger the club faces now is being bought by a developer as an investment, and then being kept closed and allowed to fall into a derelict state for years to come.

“If you’re one of the thousands of people who have enjoyed a night out at the club and want to stop yet another iconic queer performance space from closing, please sign our open letter to urgently call on Tower Hamlets Council to step in and save BGWMC. The council have the power to buy the venue and lease it back to the community – before it is lost in a battle between developers and planning protections.

Please act now, sign and share this open letter to Save BGWMC!

Sign now!

Campaign Timeline

Since July 2024, we have been working to protect Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club from proposed plans to close events at the club, evict the programming team, and put the club up for sale.

The sale of the club would be an unthinkable loss of yet another London LGBTQ+ venue. For 20 years, BGWMC has been a pillar of London’s eco-system for professional cabaret and drag artists, as well as a transformative queer space.

So, what has happened and what comes next?

In May 2024, a group of 39 locals put together Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men's Club as an unincorporated cooperative association. They did this with the intention of submitting an application to London Borough of Tower Hamlets to protect BGWMC as an Asset of Community Value.
Equity learns of the potential loss of the venue, and launches a petition to Save BGWMC. The petition reaches 10k signatures in 3 days, eventually reaching 12.5k. They organise an emergency rally outside the club to prevent the eviction of the programming team. This attracts wide press attention and successfully resists the eviction attempt.
In response to pressure from the campaign to Save BGWMC, London Borough of Tower Hamlets fast tracks the application from Friends of Bethnal Green Working Men's Club, and grants BGWMC as an Asset of Community Value.
The Community Call-out launches to gather memories, testimonials, and evidence from the past 20 years of events at BGWMC. This consultation will allow for the group to apply for further protections on the building, and conserve the venue as an LGBTQ+ performance venue for future generations.
Friends of BGWMC are seeking support, advice, and funding from various source to help the campaign.
A small list of just some of the organisations who have kindly provided support include, Equity, GLA Culture at Risk Office, Theatres Trust, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Principle Six, Calverts Print and Design, Cooperatives UK, The Friends of the Joiners Arms, Sister Midnight, as well many other people who have reached out to us on social media.
We are still in negotiation with the sellers and, as such, we are limited about how much we can say. It is not yet clear what will happen next, but we plan to be prepared for any eventuality.
This could mean a fighting fund (crowdfunder) to support legal costs if the sellers decide to push ahead.
In the longer term, this could mean a community share strategy to purchase the building in shared ownership.
The club is sadly closed for events at the current time. But BGWMC has not yet been evicted from the building. The building has not yet been put up for sale. This is thanks to you. With queer spaces closing across the capital, 13,000 of you came together to say no more, and stop Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club from being sold off.
The petition is still live here.