Conversion plan for empty live music venue blocked

Plans to convert a former pub and music venue in York into a cafe have been blocked.

A developer's application said Victoria Vaults in Nunnery Lane had been closed for some time and claimed the conversion would stop the building falling into disrepair.

But objectors including ward councillors, York's Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and the Campaign for Pubs said the development would lead to the permanent loss of a much-loved venue.

City of York Council planning officers ruled the venue would stay on the market for another five months at £25,000-a-year to lease or for sale between £360,000 and £390,000.

More time was needed to show reopening it as a venue was unviable, they added.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, an application to convert the building into three homes is yet to be decided.

Victoria Vaults had hosted artists including Bez from The Happy Mondays and Blondie drummer Clem Burke.

The council designated it as an Asset of Community Value shortly after its closure in December 2024 but it had since been removed for technical reasons, The York Press reported.

The cafe plan would have created six full-time jobs, but objections stressed the need for cultural and community venues.

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