The Groucho Club will be allowed to reopen after its license was reinstated by an emotional council, provided the club founded by the 39-year-old complies with strict rules proposed by police regarding the monitoring of members' visitors and toilets. Become.
A private members' club in London had its license suspended after a woman was allegedly raped inside the venue on November 13th. A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of rape in Hertfordshire and released on bail.
On Wednesday, Westminster City Council's licensing sub-committee lifted the immediate suspension, subject to the club complying with new license conditions to be determined within the next few days.
When the committee announced its verdict, Groucho's staff cried. Representatives for the club, whose membership includes many A-list celebrities, said a statement on the club's future was expected to be released on Wednesday night.
During the hearing, the Metropolitan Police made 13 recommendations regarding new licensing conditions, including proper supervision of toilet areas, welfare training for staff and tightening of “previously lax procedures” regarding members and their customers. Discussions regarding the police investigation took place behind closed doors.
The Groucho Club on Dean Street in Soho was founded in 1985 and has been frequented by artists, writers and musicians over the years. The name comes from Groucho Marx, who famously said he did not want to belong to any club that would accept him as a member.
While welcoming female members, who were shunned in London's male-only clubs, it cultivated a creative membership that included everyone from members of Blur and Damien Hirst to Tracey Emin and Francis Bacon.
After the police investigation began, Groucho Club chief executive Elie Jafari wrote to members apologizing for the temporary closure and saying they were taking licensing reviews “very seriously”.
The temporary closure of the club, which costs up to £1,500 a year to join and has 5,000 members, was announced just before the start of the lucrative Christmas season.
Owners Art Farm, run by gallerists Manuela and Iwan Wirth, are keen to attract a younger clientele and the club will open a new outpost at Bretton Hall in Wakefield in March, converting it into a club. The plan was announced. A hotel with approximately 60 rooms.
