Planning application to convert legendary music venue submitted to council

THE legendary independent music venue which will close its doors for good next month could be turned into shops and flats.

Brent Council has received an application to redevelop the Luminaire in Kilburn High Road into a mixed-used building.

The plan, which includes The Kings Head pub and Roger Dracie ju-jitsu gym, will see the three businesses make way for shops or a restaurant on the ground floor.

The first floor that houses The Luminaire will be turned into flats and a third storey containing seven flats will be added.

In a further twist, the application appears to have been drawn up at least two weeks before the Luminaire’s management announced on their website that the venue would close at the end of this year.

At the time, Andy Inglis, who runs The Luminaire, told the Times: “It’s been a labour of love for a while now, and at this point, it makes no sense for us to continue. It’s really as simple as this - a small business found it tough in a recession and closed.”

When the Times contacted the ju-jitsu gym the staff there said they had no idea there were plans to convert the building.

Planning permission is being sought on behalf of a firm called Sundial Capital Corp, but the buildings are owned by the firm’s Guernsey-based subsidiary Vale Property Finance (VPF).

According to land registry records, VPC paid �1.75 million for the building in September.