Comedy lovers can expect a giggle at a brand new 499-capacity comedy club that will open on the South Bank.
Big Belly Comedy Club – the team behind the Vauxhall Comedy Club – has promised to host “internationally acclaimed comedians” and nurture local talent at the venue on Stamford Street.
Southwark Council approved its licence to welcome revellers until 1am at the weekends, and 2am during the summer, despite local residents’ fears the area is being swamped with boozy establishments.
Big Belly describes itself as a “comedy club, creative talent incubator and training centre… bringing a little slice of New York style comedy club to the bustling arts hub that is the Southbank”.
It plans to host workshops around comedy, podcasting and writing for people from “an array of backgrounds”.
The venue’s lower ground floor will host a cafe open to the general public and there will be an outdoor seating area.
Mark Hermans, who lives in the luxury Southbank Tower where three-bedroom apartments are advertised at £2.3 million, suggested revellers pouring out into the streets will make the area like Soho.
“That’s not where we chose to live. That’s why I chose to send in my representation. I like what you do but it’s not the area [for it],” he told the licensing committee on Monday, June 12.
He said: “We decided to buy an apartment in Southbank Tower and not in Soho because we love the city but we also like to live in an area that is more or less quiet, residential.”
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Borough and Bankside Councillor Irina Von Wiese said: “This is the last straw for people. It’s too much to ask of them. There’s a bargain between balancing the business that we welcome, the tourists that we welcome, but also the residents.”
But Chris Rees-Gay, representing the comedy club, sought to assure people that local residents’ concerns had been heeded.
He said: “The hours that have been applied for, a lot of consideration has been given. […] We do understand the residents’ concerns. As soon as we got the twenty concerns, we reached out [and] we had the meeting with them [residents].”
He added: “[They] are experienced managers of comedy clubs and licensed premises. The operating schedule is extensively conditioned to ensure the licensing objectives are promoted.”
There is no exact timescale for the venue’s arrival, but the company has reportedly said it will open “soon”.
