Save The Cellar

MarkG said:
I think the issue with the Cellar is the fire exit, rather than noise. Whereas with the Star, the developer got his plans approved before the 'agent of change' rules came in (if they have yet).
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it is the width of the fire exit at the cellar.... wheras its noise ( following a complaint from a temporary resident who moved into a flat nearby the wheatsheaf in Oxford)....& yep real sorry state of affairs and a demonstration that property developers (& tax exiled slum landlords) seem to get preferential treatment from local councils everywhere re the Star ,
 
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Inching ever closer.

The target and the dealine!

C'mon people.
 
Now they want a nice temperature, to be able to hear the music, and somewhere to pee!
 
statement from Tim n Cellar team (cut n pasted from Nightshift magazines fb timeline - cheers Ronan )

A statement from The Cellar on reaching their fundraising target today:
Dearest Supporters
WOW we are awestruck. Through the power of the people, thanks to you we’ve now got the crowdfunding we need to save The Cellar. Thank you so, so much because without this, The Cellar would definitely close this December.
It’s been an incredible journey and one we hope also communicates to people out there, just how crucial small venues are to our music and arts community.
This is a live situation and we have been working really hard to get all the other things in place before the building work can commence.
This is what we have achieved so far:
• Raised £80,000 to give us the opportunity to save The Cellar.
• We’ve got approval from the landlords to submit the plans, and consulted with structural engineers.
• The building has been surveyed and detailed drawings have been drawn up.
• We have consulted with building control, and submitted to the planning office (planning approval by 4th Jan 2019).
• We have received quotes from various building firms
In summary, there are many pieces of the jigsaw to slot into place to keep The Cellar alive. We are hoping that the building work will start in January 2019, and we are working flat out to ensure this happens.
It’s important to us, and to all your incredible efforts, that we do not accept the money until we are 100% sure we can deliver. We will keep you updated via the crowdfunder updates, every step of the way.
Thank you so, so for your patience on this, and we are so grateful we now have the chance to save our beloved venue.
#cellarforever
Much love from Tim and the Cellar team
 
Absolutely amazing really. I was working at the beer festival 2 weekends ago and telling people I thought they had no chance, but to go tell their mates to donate £5 if they had it.

I’d love to see a @Shosho style graphic of the pledge timeline. I reckon it massively spiked in the last 5 days.

People are still donating too.

And of course, it’s not over until the fat lady sings. And at least when she does, she’ll be able to get out of the fire exit.
 
Just got an email from the Stewart Lee mailing list and he leads with a plea to help save it, citing it as a venue that really supported him during his time in Oxford.

Nice one, Stew.
 
“folk singer Frank Turner” [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]
 
Not looking good.

Seems to be a theme about Landlords ….


Dear Supporters

Firstly, thank you for your continuing patience! We need to give you the heads up that whilst we are still in negotiations with the landlords, time is sadly running out. We cannot operate at this capacity any longer, and as a result we will be closing our doors in March 2019.

We are hoping that this will be temporary.

However, unless we finalise a workable rent agreement and establish a firm plan to start building work, all within the next two weeks, our closure will be permanent. These processes take time and we are grateful to the landlords for trying to find a solution to our needs.

If the worst happens, which we really hope it won't, we cannot accept the crowdfunding money. To reassure all our kind donors, if we decline the money, it will automatically return to your bank accounts.

However, there is still a bit of time left, so we do still hope we can save The Cellar and not let the people of Oxford as well as those further afield, down. Thanks again to you amazing people for your support. We will update you further when we know more.

Best wishes
Tim and The Cellar Team


Got your own great idea?​

 
There needs to be client money protection of funds put into these crowd funded ideas.
 
MarkG said:
There needs to be client money protection of funds put into these crowd funded ideas.
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Which client? If the Cellar don’t get the permissions and clearances they need (from the Council, landlords - neither of which want them to actually continue), then they give all the money back. What’s the issue?
 
makv said:
Which client? If the Cellar don’t get the permissions and clearances they need (from the Council, landlords - neither of which want them to actually continue), then they give all the money back. What’s the issue?
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Landlords have over doubled the rent. If they can’t negotiate that back down then the work will be a non-starter (and as you say, everyone will get their money back).
 
milburn said:
Landlords have over doubled the rent. If they can’t negotiate that back down then the work will be a non-starter (and as you say, everyone will get their money back).
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The landlords, as we know, are C***s of the highest order. I wonder if they read this forum?
 
So that’s the end of that then…

Sad times.

"We are very sad to inform you that The Cellar closed its doors for the last time on 11th March 2019. After crunching the numbers, a thousand times over, the Hopkins family, who have run the independent music venue, for nearly 40 years, have sadly come to conclusion that they cannot continue.

After months of negotiations, we would have loved to have been able to take the landlord's final rent offer, but it came too late. What’s more, even with a vaguely do-able rent agreed, there were no guarantees on the time frame of the building work, which required access to the shop above and various structural considerations. Essentially, the whole process took far longer than we were expecting, and we simply could not keep operating under these conditions.

We are grateful to the landlords for recognising the cultural importance of the venue, and we hope that we have saved this space from becoming a store room. Moreover, we hope that the space, in some shape or form, will continue as a live music venue. Over 2000 people donated to the Cellar Forever campaign, showing that the people of Oxford really care about what The Cellar stands for, and the values it embodies – independence, individuality and creativity. The amazing £92K that we raised will be returned to everyone's bank accounts.

This is a sad time for Oxford's city centre, with so many vacant shops and bars all around us, and we hope that our closure will be noted as part of the situation that is eroding our cultural communities. We have tried hard to save our beloved venue, but hopefully its closure will fuel further discussion between landlords and the council to stem further destruction of our beloved city. If given the opportunity, our dream for the future would be to turn The Cellar into a Community Interest Company, a social enterprise whereby any profits would be ploughed back into the company.

We’d like to thank all of our Cellar Forever supporters from the bottom of our hearts. You guys have kept us going through what has been a very tough two years. We’d also like to thank the brilliant people at Crowdfunder for being so supportive and understanding. Lastly, thank you to the Music Venues Trust who gave us so much valuable advice and guidance. Without them, we certainly wouldn't have come this far.

Who knows what the future holds for our beloved, sweaty little cellar! It’s a unique space, and it’s been a privilege to run this special venue for the past two decades.

Best Wishes

Tim and the Cellar Team
 
milburn said:
Landlords have over doubled the rent. If they can’t negotiate that back down then the work will be a non-starter (and as you say, everyone will get their money back).
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Well at least Cornmarket is doing really well and the landlords can totally justify doubling the rent ...
I hope that if the Landlords don't manage to persuade so.ebody to take it on as a music venue then it is empty for years.
 
The Wheatsheaf looks in 'danger' .... a number of flats , level in height with the upstairs venue , have been approved by the powers that be. Ox city council (?)

highly likely incoming occupants moving in next to 'a farm' will no doubt complain to envoiromental health dept that the 'roosters' are too noisy , and thatll result in another live music venue gone

Oxford city council it seems have absolutely no interest in the rich heritage of Oxford bands who cut their teeth at venues such as the Cellar (formerly the dolly and the corn dolly) and upstairs at the Wheatsheaf, venues integral to the vibrant, productive and eclectic Oxford music scene.

Shame on Oxford City Council!

.... local elections in may, when the candidates come doorknocking for votes, think I may well have a few questions for them
 
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