Euan Johnston has spoken out following the London club's sudden closure this week.
The founder of Cable London has revealed details of a dispute with Network Rail that led to the club's closure on May 1st.
Earlier this week it was revealed that the venue had been forced to close immediately as part of a Network Rail's redevelopment of the London Bridge station. On Wednesday, May 1st, Network Rail workers arrived at the venue, "equipped with battering rams and angle grinders" in order to force entry, according to the club.
"We were assured when we moved in that we would not be affected by the redevelopment and Network Rail have simply changed their minds—the worst thing is there is nothing we can do to prevent it," Cable founder and director Euan Johnston said. "We have invested a huge amount of time and energy developing the space and growing Cable as a brand, not to mention employing 70 staff who now face redundancy." Network Rail, however, say they gave the venue two years' notice.
A press release posted on Facebook by the venue today claimed Cable had "tried every means possible to reach a compromise with Network Rail in the hope they would change plans and avoid closure of the club, culminating in issuing a Judicial Review against the entry notice which is yet to be determined." Johnston said plans for club-themed compilation albums, the launch of their DJ agency and global events divisions have been "shelved" as a result of the closure.
When contacted by RA, a spokesman for Network Rail said: "Unfortunately Cable nightclub occupies one of our arches under London Bridge station that will form part of the rebuilding and modernisation of this critical station that serves some 180,000 passengers a day, and forms the central hub of the £6bn Thameslink upgrade programme. Our plans for the station have long been in the public domain and we gave our tenant two years' notice of the need to take back possession to enable us to start our work on this essential project."
Cable has documented the arrival of Network Rail gaining access to the venue—you can watch the seven-minute clip below.