Hitchin’s much-loved music venue, Club 85, is set to be demolished to build flats. The owners of Club 85 have submitted a planning application that will see the 300-person capacity venue transformed into 16 apartments with vehicle access.
The North Hertfordshire venue hosted iconic British artists during its run, including Glen Matlock of Sex Pistols and Neville Staple of The Specials. Club 85’s landlord and owner, Jas Lidder, told Hitchin Nub News, “It wasn’t an easy decision.”
The venue has served the Hitchin community for 60 years, with Lidder going on to further explain the difficult decision in his statement for Hitchin Nub News. Lidder wrote, “The most important thing in life is your health and mental wellness. Therefore, it’s time for both [Jas & Ranjit Lidder] to enjoy their life after working 70+ hours per week for multiple years.”
Lidder continued, “We can assure you that every option was explored and evaluated, but we’ve decided the best choice was to develop the site. The decision wasn’t easy for both after all the hard work that the family has put into Club 85 since 1985 and the sacrifices to make it the best community hub in the area.”
This news comes shortly after NME reported that the UK is set to lose 10% of its grassroots music venues in 2023. 67 venues have already closed this year, with a further 90 currently working with MVT’s Emergency Response. It is predicted that half of these will be closed, marking a 10% loss in venues this year alone.
Club 85’s Lidder pointed towards a potential new grassroots venue project in the works for his colleague Bob Mardon however, writing, “We’d like to additionally pass our thanks on to [manager] Bob Mardon for the last 20 years, his hard work and dedication have led to Club 85 being the best live music venue in the area. We will both support Bob in developing a new grassroots venue.”
Lidder also thanked Club 85’s patrons, saying, “Lastly, we’d like to thank all the great people who have come through the doors over the last 38 years and becoming a part of the Club 85 family.”
The news has been met with negative feedback, with one Twitter user writing, “It’s ridiculous to tear it down to make a handful of flats.”
BOO! Club 85 offers great opportunities for live music and comedy. It’s ridiculous to tear it down to make a handful of flats #Hitchin #Club85 https://t.co/x43d30j270
— Phoenix Phil Morley (@PhoenixPhilM) September 19, 2023
Another called the news “pretty devastating.”
The last time I played Club 85, I was much smaller.
Hitchin’s lucky to have a full-time music venue with so much love & history behind it. Club 85’s a cultural asset that gives so much to the community. So the news of the proposal to replace it with flats is pretty devastating. pic.twitter.com/tj3o30xyQj
— David Ephgrave (@David_Ephgrave) September 20, 2023
Hitchin councillor, Ian Albert, summed up the news by saying, “This is desperately sad news for the residents of Hitchin and music lovers far and wide.“
