Club to appeal licence ruling
Wednesday 15th August 2007, 11:42AM BST.
The owner of a Shrewsbury nightclub has vowed to appeal against a host of conditions imposed by the council amid fears his business could be damaged.Buttermarket licence holder Kerry Wycherley said if his appeal failed there was a real possibility Shrewsbury could lose the club.
The Howard Street club had its licence called into question by West Mercia Police after a shooting on June 23. Conditions imposed by the council yesterday state all people entering the club must be searched, including staff.
It must close at 1am for 56 days until the changes are made, which Mr Wycherley said would have a huge impact on his business. The conditions will not apply while the appeal is lodged.
Mr Wycherley said: “I’m absolutely devastated. I feel that was a punishment and I was under the impression that we were not there to be punished. We are going to appeal.”
The Buttermarket, often hosts DJ nights until 6am. Police raised concerns about searches carried out on the doors.
Now 12 extra licensing conditions have been placed on the club by the borough council’s licensing sub-committee.
But the club was saved from having its premises licence stripped following the shooting at about 2am on June 23 when Daniel Maxwell, 24, from Telford, suffered a gunshot wound to his arm.
Tony Mantle, police licensing officer, put forward nine conditions, including searching all staff, performers and clubbers as well as using airport-style metal detectors.
He said digital CCTV must be enforced after it was revealed it was not working correctly at the time of the incident.
The fire service also added a condition that large wooden sliding doors in the club should be open when the club is in use.
The committee, chaired by Councillor Judith Williams, added the enforcement to close at 1am.
Mr Mantle said it had been alleged by some people that they were not searched on entering the club on the night of the incident.
He said shots caused panic among revellers and the emergency exits of the premises had been “hampered”.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue safety officer, Martin Huckle, said there was confusion over whether the emergency exits were locked at the time of the incident.
When safety officers inspected the club the following afternoon, they were locked. But the club claims it was told to do so by police after the shooting.
The incident occurred during the Pandemonium night, which was a private promotion being staged at the venue by a Wolverhampton firm.
Mr Adrian Roberts, who was representing Mr Wycherley, said they believed that if the event had been a local one, the “isolated” incident would never have happened.
He said: “Mr Wycherley does not accept that it was a failure of security on the doors.”
The new conditions in full:
- All people entering the Buttermarket, including staff, performers and clubbers, will be searched.
- The licence holder must use metal detectors, such as airport style security arches.
- If any person is found in possession of prohibited items such as drugs, weapons or firearms they should be detained and the police called immediately.
- All entrances must be staffed by qualified door staff who should robustly carry out searches.
- All exits to be staffed properly for safe evacuation of the premises in an emergency.
- Digital CCTV to be used throughout the premises, especially at all entrances where the faces of everyone entering must be captured.
- All CCTV images must be kept for a minimum of 31 days to be given to responsible authorities on request.
- Audio recording to accompany digital images at all entrances.
- A dress code must be adopted. Caps, hoodies or items of clothing that obstruct faces are not allowed but religious items such as burkas are exempt.
- The large wooden sliding doors are to be open at all times the premises are in use and the inner double aluminium doors to be easily opened in the event of a fire or emergency without the aid of a key or a code.
- All doors should be available when the club is in use.
- The club must close at 1am for 56 days for the work to be carried out.
By Rebecca Lawrence
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It is quite frightening to think that someone can walk straight into a night club with a gun and start shooting and nobody notices. I agree with the idea of airport style secruity, people go to clubs to enjoy themselves and dont expect to be in fear of their lives.
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I don’t agree that hoodies or caps should be banned but burkas be allowed! Burkas should not be allowed, look what happened when one of the recent terrorists managed to get through an airport wearing one! Have we not learnt anything?
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It seems a bit harsh to penalize the club because of the actions of one idiot.
Burkas have nothing today with religion and are banned in many Muslim country’s.
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I think this is stupid. I often used to go to the buttermarket before I moved away and it was the only place in town I ever had a good night and actually felt safe. I cannot remember ever seeing trouble within the club, and have witnessed staff searching people. If all the above conditions,in particular closing at 1am,are implemented over one isolated incident it will destroy the club and the only decent place to go as certain other clubs leave a lot to be desired. I hope they win the appeal.
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I certainly agree that people should be searched properly. I’ve been there many a time and never been searched once! As Michelle has said, you don’t expect to be in fear of your life and you shouldn’t have to worry about these things, that’s the bouncer’s responsibility!!
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i think its a shame that the council have such little understanding and a disregard for what is a huge segment of shrewsburys population, do we not pay them to have some sort of understanding of what goes on in our town and what kind of people reside here?! the buttermarket is a massive central multicultural hub which regularly hosts a huge array of trouble free events both night and day and is the venue of choice for many many people who want a good night out to experience some decent music. on my visits i have only ever encountered decent and interesting people, both staff and visitors. there is nowhere else like this in the entire county. i have never felt threatened or unsafe in the many many years i have visited the venue. ensuring that people are safe with the use of metal detectors is perhaps a good precaution to take, but why enforce a 1am closing time? and why stop people wearing what they like? madness. i think its time that people who make these decisions had a reality check and took a look at the real world around them. it only takes a stroll around shrewsburys array of venues and nighlife hotspots to see where there is real trouble and persistent problems and the buttermarket certainly isnt one of them. why not ask the police where it is they have to monitor and patrol on a busy night? i wish the buttermarket the best of luck in their appeal and support them fully.
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A firearm is discharged in a crowded, confined space, the consequences of which could have led to the death of any one of numerous people. It begs many fundamental and simple questions including, why was this private function permitted to be held at that venue when one gets the impression other venues in the area where the patrons came from had declined the function. If these type of premises are not very discerning over the clientele allowed to use them, then the Police, Fire Service Local Authority and Magistrates and uncle Tom Cobley an’ all have a clear public responsibility to ensure public safety and, if this includes all the measures outlined, so be it. I think he should count his lucky stars and conform with the requirements as the next occasion anything serious happens, he is not likely to have a license to operate.
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Well said John! It would be such a shame if these conditions ruin such a good venue as the Buttermarket. This is one of the best places in Shrewsbury for a night out as it generally attracts a decent bunch of people and the staff there are a lot more helpful than most of those at other clubs in town.
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i agree with john. i would like to know if these conditions are going to be imposed on ALL other nightclubs in the town??!?!?
I have been to a number of clubs in the Shrewsbury area and have never been searched upon entry to any of them…what sets the buttermarket aside from the others…this kind of incident could easily occur in any one of these other places…
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Everyone go get a Burka. Party on people!!
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Oh come on, think about it.
Do you honestly think that anyone wearing a Burka would be allowed to visit a nightclub ?
This is just a clause to protect the club from discrimination.
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No other venue in Shrewsbury has the unique combination of large capacity and independent ownership to enable such a function to take place. Many of the other venues in Shrewsbury are simply corporate run, faceless money-making machines.
The venue clearly made a mistake by allowing the promoter from Wolverhampton to operate on their premises. However, the club has learnt not to do this again the hard way.
The fact that the Buttermarket is privately owned means young promoters from Shrewsbury and the surrounding areas can come up with a concept for a fun and entertaining night and run it in a professional and sizeable venue. This nightclub is the epicentre for Shropshire’s youth and as the hundreds of people who signed the pro-Buttermarket petition will testify, it has provided years of quality entertainment for generations of Salopians both young and old.
Imposing suspiciously ludicrous conditions upon Shrewsbury’s only remaining privately owned venue is akin to hammering the last nail in the cultural coffin for anyone in this town aged 18 to 35 years-old. In over 20 years we’ve seen very little bad press surrounding this venue, yet every weekend we see police cars permanently stationed outside other clubs which create street violence hotspots.
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Look at the incidents over the last 10 years or more, the butter market has very little if any troublem this was a one off.
Other venues in shrews have more incidents on a weekly occassion, don’t the police wait outside liquid weekly! I wonder why…
Buttermarket is a safe venue and does search punters. Like most professional city clubs.
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I was at The Buttermarket on the evening, it is alleged that there was a shooting. I heard nothing apart from the fire alarm. There was no mad rush to get out. Actually everyone left in a calm and orderly manner. There was full search on the evening. As for the event I was there 3 weeks before when a similar evening was held, with no problems. The Buttermarket is still the safest place to go in Shrewsbury. I would hazard a guess that The Buttermarket has had as many call outs to the police in 23 years, that Liquid have in a month
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It is a real shame that a committee of people who have no idea whatsoever about noghtlife in the town can arbitrarily bring down such dracionain measures on the oldest nightclub in the town. the buttermarket has been operating longer than any other club, hosts a vast array of a huge varied assortment of musical styles and attracts a diverse crowd of clubbers and people who appreciate a musical experience which is different from the normal commercial types played elsewhere. For an isolated incident to bring about these measures is testiment to the ridiculous way most of our councilors in the town operate and indicitive of the ininformed opinion on the social requirements of our home. Look at the policing requirements week in week out at the other venues, look at the police reports each week to see where the trouble is and the number of times they are called out and you will see that the buttermarket very rarely gets involved. I have been going there now for over 15 years and can hardly ever remember any trouble occuring. There really is no-where else to go in the town for people who want a proper night out and it will affect many other businesses. Yes – public safetly is paramount, but lessons have been learnt – there is no point enforcing rules that should apply to shrewsbury prison, not a place of socialising and enjoyment.
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The sanctions are fairly mundane and generic however on further analysis require further clarification.
1. Surely the issue is not hoodies, but the wearing of hoodies to obscure the face.
2. Manning of all doors (Please define all doors) seems excessive and an inappropriate use of manpower.
3. The opening of large doors will cause noise pollution, how do the council feel this should be addressed?
4. All door staff need to be licensed anyway so is there need for this clause?
5. I would query whether recording of all faces and speech is technically possible, given variance in individual height, hairstyles and noise pollution from queuing and open doors. Perhaps this should be ratified with the term “attempt to record all” creating unachievable goals is of no purpose
The council should be attempting to support the Buttermarket and its rich culture that it brings to Shrewsbury.
PS Shropshire Star, any idea of the number of police attendances at other nightclubs in the town
Reflex / Flares
Liquid / Diva
Bar Med
Tempo
C21
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The buttermarket is the only nightclub in Shrewsbury that i have ever been searched on entry! These conditions are unjust and unfair unless imposed on all other late licence establishments in Shrewsbury! As Shrewsburys only independent venue it offers the only place for young and old to experience diverse and cultural music provided by a dedicated network of local promoters working for love not money! I think the councillors who appear to be punishing the buttermarket should look closer to home to reduce trouble at the club.
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I think it was a mistake to of the club to cater for the DJ style of ‘music’ in the first place.
EG. rave, rap, house, etc.
The cellars had a lovely vibe on the Thursday Jazz ‘n’ Roots nites than ran successfully at the BM for 16 years. Never in all the time I went on that nite did I witness any trouble and I went to most of them. So I hope the club will survive and rip out that horrible dated industrial look in the cellars and restore them to as they were.
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“I think it was a mistake to of the club to cater for the DJ style of ‘music’ in the first place.
EG. rave, rap, house” . . . .
I think a quick glance ate previous copies of 31 days will highlight that these are not the only nights catered for.
Also the buttermarket has always ran DJ nights since its conception. Fridays and Saturdays were always DJ nights. Dave who organised J&R still is invloved in events under a different guise
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i attend an organ night at the buttermarket and was invited to a club night which i went to.
a person of my age has never had so much fun
i would also like to know why the council have put such stringent police’s on the venue.
it would be a great shame to see it s licence taken away ,
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“I think it was a mistake to of the club to cater for the DJ style of ‘music’ in the first place.
EG. rave, rap, house, etc.”
I think you need to do some research before you make silly comments.
The music style on the night was Garage, and if you look at the dance music scene as a whole excluding Garage music events you will find that there is less trouble at and of these events – worldwide than there is at the mainstream events.
The Buttermarket helps local people put on fantastic events whitch cater for everyones tastes.
Has anyone ever seen the musical by Ben Elton and Queen ‘We Will Rock You’ it tells a story set in the future where everything is processed through the internet, musical instruments are banned and everybody had to live exactly the same lives whitch were programmed for them. With people with silly beleifes like yours then this will happen sooner rather than later.
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‘I think you need to do some research before you make silly comments.’
My point was that DJ music is no where near is good as watching and listening to live musicians.
I don’t care what you call it.
It all sounds like it has been recorded in a factory somewhere. A power press going BOOM BOOM! The sound of un-creative, mass-produced rubbish!….LOL!
Changing the interior of the cellars to look ‘industrial’ adversely affected the ambience on the J&R nite. Many of the punters that used to go agree with me on this.
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“Has anyone ever seen the musical by Ben Elton and Queen ‘We Will Rock You’….. it tells a story set in the future….etc. musical instruments are banned….etc. With people with silly beleifes like yours then this will happen sooner rather than later.”
Well it’s the rubbish you listen to
that did threaten the survival of instruments. Anyone can see that!
Your comment is illogical…!
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C. Bates comment no. 21 said:
….. musical instruments are banned and everybody had to live exactly the same lives whitch were programmed for them. With people with silly beleifes like yours then this will happen sooner rather than later.
The logical response to this is DJ music was responsible for the decline
in popularity in live music for a while. But thankfully no more as it’s old hat now. It was all just an experiment that the availability of new technology made possible.
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Good on you buttermarket for challenging these ridiculous measures! i hope all goes well for the appeal.
isnt it funny how the council puts all these restrictions on the buttermarket, which has has barely ever had a poliece car waiting outside it at a night, let alone all night – hmm lets think….. actually there are at least 2 police cars waiting outside Liquid almost every night! and from what i hear from mates is true, theres at least a couple of incidents there every night! this is jsut another excuse for those council people to feel big by excercising their powers and making life miserable for all 18-30 year olds. What do they want to do, turn shrewsbury into a town full of grannies?
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I’ ve been goin to the buttermarket for 8 years, to a whole variety of nights from hard dance when i was younger to preffered house, breaks & dnb nights and i ve also been to the jazz nights, plus my parents go soul nights reguarly on sundays and we’ve never witnessed any thing worse than the odd person being ejected for being drunk & dissorderly. if u look at the track record of r & b/ garage nights its quiet obvious theres a history of violence from gang related incidents 4 example the mezzanine in wolverhampton was a favoured venue of ours a few years back for its hard trance/dance & techno nights, people would travel for miles to attend, these would take place on friday evenings and there was a real togetherness about the place and the people, they started having garage/RnB nights on saturdays and within a month or so the club was closed due to a stabbing and a shooting on the same night. We were very dissapointed at this as we’d been goin on fridays for so long and had never witnessed violence of this nature, my guess is even though it probably won’t mean much is that night of the shooting in the butter market was solely due to violence that comes with the genre of this music. The organisers obviously could not get a venue nearer home so they move further afield, the owner of the buttermarket did’nt have a clue of gang culture/violence that comes with these nights and should hav looked into the past history of organisers alot more, thats bad on his part, the obvious solution is to never have a garage/RnB night at the buttermarket again and u can garuntee this will not happen again! i would just like to say that i don’t mean to offend garage/RnB followers who go out to just have a good time but there is a bad history of violence that comes with the history of this genre of music particuarly in the cities! so please don’t ruin our only decent venue in this town as so many people hav put alot of time and effort into making the buttermarket a frindly, fun & safe atmosphere!
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