A major win has been achieved in the effort to save beloved arts and community hub, The Carlton Club in Whalley Range.
They announced back in August that they faced eviction from Rowan Lodge – the building they call home – in a move instigated by the landlords of the building itself, The Building Company.
But in a positive move for those who frequent the club, as of 6.30pm Monday 25 November 2024, there has been a change of directors, and the Club’s historic shareholding in the Building Company will be restored.
These new directors have voted to stop the eviction notice, and move forward with more collaborative discussions between the Club and The Building Company. In short, that means the threat of eviction no longer looms.
The drastic move – to restore directors, Justin Anderson and Chris Fox, to the Building Company and appoint new directors – was ‘not undertaken […] lightly, but as a last resort. This was the only remaining route open to us to protect the future of the club’, according to a statement shared on 26 November.
It comes after huge community mobilisation to save the Club, which is home to everything from yoga to poetry to club nights to beer festivals.
Over £38,000 was raised in a community fundraiser to help with legal fees. The ‘Save Our Club’ campaign also received vocal support from notable figures like Russell T Davies, MP Afzal Khan, DJ Mr Scruff and Sacha Lord.
However, on a post on Instagram they said that the fight isn’t quite over, as there is a ‘vast amount of legal and administrative work’ to do to secure Rowan Lodge and the grounds for future generations’.
The landlord of the club refutes claims made by the club, and said in a statement: “We have spent two years tirelessly trying to formalise and regularise the unwritten lease position with a written lease intended to protect both parties, who are otherwise exposed to unnecessary risk.
“This culminated in Solicitors providing a draft lease on reasonable commercial terms back in 2022. However, due to the Club continuing to fail to properly engage and negotiate this remains unsigned. Their refusal to constructively engage, and its risk exposure, left us with little alternative but to serve notice of our intention to occupy the building as a business which we are fully entitled to do in the circumstances.”
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