O2 Brixton Academy will remain closed for another three months after a crowd that killed two.
The South London venue has been closed since the tragedy on December 15 when fans without tickets tried to get into Nigerian artist Asake’s show.
Numerous people were seriously injured and treated at the scene by staff, police and paramedics, but two of the most severely injured later died in hospital.
Lambeth Council has decided to shut the site down until a meeting on Monday, January 16, and O2 Academy Brixton has offered to close it voluntarily by that date.
The decision to suspend the site’s license was taken after police said it was clear that “security personnel had completely lost control of the situation regarding crowd control.”
The Academy Music Group (AMG), which runs the venue, has now voluntarily decided to remain closed for another three months while the Met Police conduct a broad and complex investigation into what happened.
An AMG spokesperson said the firm was “thinking deeply” before deciding to stay closed.
“O2 Academy Brixton is aware of the seriousness of the events that took place on the night of 15 December 2022 and expresses its deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives during the tragic event and its sincere concern to all those affected.
“The driver’s license holder (AMG) is committed to understanding what happened and to cooperating, including fully cooperating with the police in the various investigations being conducted.
“AMG has thought through and decided to close the plant for three months while the investigations continue, as well as to work in partnership with the responsible authorities, which will include a review of the licensing terms and proposed changes.”
Rebecca Ikumelo, 33, a mother of two and a nursing graduate from Newham, was injured in a crush and died two days after the tragedy, while 23-year-old security guard Gaby Hutchinson died two days later.
Vauxhall Labor Party MP Florence Eshalomi is among those who called for a “response” after the incident.
“It’s clear that the ticketing and security procedures were not done properly for this incident to occur,” he previously tweeted.
“We need answers on exactly how this happened and measures against it in the future. This will be fully investigated by Specialized Crime detectives assisted by Lambeth Council’s Licensing Unit.”
A full review of the facility license is expected at a meeting of Lambeth Council’s licensing subcommittee on Monday.
“The company’s decision to shut down for this period will depend on whether the license is suspended,” AMG said in a statement.