Arts & Culture

One of Oxford’s most beloved and long-standing music venues has again come under threat from closure.

Last year The Cellar Bar triumphed over plans for the venue to be turned into retail space after the planning permission was withdrawn. During the planning decision the music venue received more than 14,000 signatures on an online petition to save The Cellar via change.org, so naturally the verdict for The Cellar to remain open was ecstatically received by the town’s music lovers.

Since their win the independent venue has remained business as usual bringing in some top tier acts from across the UK - a personal highlight was seeing Jordan Allen and Judas last month and it was a terrific gig, undoubtedly enhanced by the vibe of the prestigious venue itself.

This morning news came out that The Cellar is no longer in the clear after a fire inspection, carried out by Oxford City Council, ruled that the venue must drop its capacity to 60 as the fire escape is too narrow by 30cm. It goes without saying that a restriction on ticket sales could financially affect the venue’s sustainability.

The Cellar team wrote: “We’ve had another blow to our beloved venue. Since your wonderful show of support last year we’ve been working hard to keep on improving The Cellar.

“As part of our lease re-negotiations a recent fire risk assessment has meant our capacity has been restricted to such an extent that it may severely affect our ability to survive as a live music and club venue.

“We are doing all we can to see what our options are in the light of this new situation. Apologies for no concrete answers as yet, but we will keep you updated as soon as developments happen.

“Suffice to say, the incredible events of last year continue to feed our hopes to be able to stay open.”

www.cellaroxford.co.uk