Dimco "Exhibition London" Opens on Saturday

DIMCO Buildings - open until 3am?

The DIMCO Buildings, The Grade II listed former electrical station which sits at the heart of the Westfield shopping centre, is now an events venue, branded as Exhibition London.

Tomorrow, Saturday 8 February, sees the first event, the band Catfish and The Bottlemen - the first live music show.

Catfish and The Bottlemen
Catfish and The Bottlemen is an In Indie-Pop band; the event forms part of the BRITs Week, together with O2 for War Child 2020. The event has a charitable purpose - it is apparently intended to raise money for children whose lives have been torn apart by war. 

Late Night Entertainment License
Last year Broadwick Venues Limited applied for a late-night entertainment license from our council.  The DIMCO buildings, a former electrical station for the Central Line which has listed building status, has been re-invented as an events venue. Boradwick applied for a license to open until 1am seven days of the week, including Sundays, and - for 25 days a year - until 3am.

Local Opposition

Stationary traffic in MacFarlane Rd

Not everyone is delighted. The presence of a new late-night venue is especially troubling for anyone living in nearby Macfarlane road. Local residents will undoubtedly fear the extra traffic and disturbance that is the inevitable consequence of night-time entertainment, especially when cab drivers park up in the small hours to collect people leaving the venue.

Saturation Zone
Shepherd's Bush itself is a Saturation Zone (though Westfield itself is not included), and local residents who have sat in the seemingly endless traffic jam that is Wood Lane can hardly long for more visitors.

Duty Phone Line
Buried right at the bottom of Broadwick Venues Limited's FAQs is a duty phone line for local residents. The number is 07857 202984, in case locals need to contact the duty officer to make a complaint. You can read more here at the official site:  https://exhibitionlondon.co.uk/faqs/

Licensing law

Licensing law means that local residents disturbed by the events and the associated problems can in principle apply to have the license reviewed by the council. In the meantime, it's important to keep a log of problems so that written evidence can be submitted formally. 
 

Grounds for objection
Objections to applications for a license must be done on proper grounds. Under the terms of the Licensing Act 2003, all licence applications must comply with four licensing objectives including:

• the prevention of crime and disorder.
• public safety.
• the prevention of public nuisance.
• the protection of children from harm.

So, any objections to the license should focus on one or more of these objectives.

Hopefully, of course, none of that will be necessary, assuming that all goes well, and local folks aren't disturbed by what could potentially be a big new local asset - a fine new events venue in a historic building.

The Shepherd's Bush Blog offers a personal view on life in Shepherd's Bush. If you would like to contribute a story about our neighbourhood, email us at shepherdsbushblog(at)gmail.com.