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The journalist doesn't cover why the relatively low-rent shops and large bars and clubs could exist in the first place. The Crossrail/Elizabeth Line railway ro

The journalist doesn't cover why the relatively low-rent shops and large bars and clubs could exist in the first place. The Crossrail/Elizabeth Line railway route was planned in 1974. Essential points on the route -- like major stations -- have been "safeguarded" in some form since then[0]. That limited any development -- no significant new buildings were allowed on the safeguarded sites, and very little investment in the existing ones. A bar, nightclub or concert venue fits well in that space. Recording studios and music shops fit well in the smaller buildings. See the safeguarded route of Crossrail 2 [1]. You can see why above Angel station the Electrowerkz manages to be a very long-running goth/alternative/metal nightclub surrounded by modern office buildings. (I'm sure there are more examples.) It was wonderful to have the three large concert venues around Tottenham Court Road when I was a student -- they were easy to get to and easy to get home from. I appreciated that even more when I was a bit older and I had to be at work the next morning. It's possible for new music venues to work, for example the Islington Academy is in a shopping centre, but my concern is these flashy new LED-venues will be too expensive for smaller or non-mainstream bands to use. [0] https://2577f60fe192df40d16a-ab656259048fb93837ecc0ecbcf0c557.ssl.cf3.rackcdn.com/assets/library/document/1/original/1_volume_1_old_oak_common_to_abbey_wood.pdf https://2577f60fe192df40d16a-ab656259048fb93837ecc0ecbcf0c55... page 15 / sheet 7 for Tottenham Court Road. [1] https://crossrail2.co.uk/discover/safeguarding/ https://crossrail2.co.uk/discover/safeguarding/ [2] https://www.electrowerkz.co.uk/ https://www.electrowerkz.co.uk/

DoughnutHole 4y ago
Cheap rent certainly facilitates nightclubs and venues, but it's not entirely what shaped the area - Denmark Street was a centre for the music industry long before Crossrail and urban decay. The music industry on the street dates back to it being a centre of music publishing in the 1920s, back when music publishing meant publishing sheet music more than it meant publishing recordings. Recording studios and music shops popped up through the 60's and 70's when traditional music publishing declined. Finally in the 80's nightclubs appeared, probably due to cheap rents due to the rail safeguarding you mentioned.

DoughnutHole 4y ago

Cheap rent certainly facilitates nightclubs and venues, but it's not entirely what shaped the area - Denmark Street was a centre for the music industry long before Crossrail and urban decay. The music industry on the street dates back to it being a centre of music publishing in the 1920s, back when music publishing meant publishing sheet music more than it meant publishing recordings. Recording studios and music shops popped up through the 60's and 70's when traditional music publishing declined. Finally in the 80's nightclubs appeared, probably due to cheap rents due to the rail safeguarding you mentioned.