Plans for the reopening of Printworks have been submitted to the local council, which could see the London superclub return by 2026.

The acclaimed 6,000-capacity nightclub and events venue shut down on 1 May 2023 and looked set to close for good after Southwark Council gave the go-ahead for it to be converted into offices.

But in May 2023, an agreement was reached for the venue to continue to operate in some form.

Today, property developer British Land and its partner AustralianSuper, one of the country’s largest pension funds, have submitted a detailed proposal to the council to redevelop the site in Rotherhithe into a permanent cultural venue.

The pair are in exclusive talks with Broadwick, the company that ran Printworks through a six-year temporary consent, to operate the new venue.

“What appeals to us about it is that it’s creating a new piece of city and a new district for London”

The reimagined space would occupy half of the existing building and would include a new rooftop terrace space for performances, rehearsals, product launches or curated talks, as well as a smaller performance space called The Inkwells. The other half will be turned into offices for 1,500 workers, and shops.

Printworks forms part of British Land and AustralianSuper’s £6 billion Canada Water project in London’s Docklands. Forty buildings are planned with up to 3,000 new homes – of which 35% will be affordable – and offices with space for 20,000 workers.

British Land and AustralianSuper hope to receive planning permission for ‘Printworks 2.0’ within the next few months.

“What appeals to us about it is that it’s creating a new piece of city and a new district for London,” Emma Cariaga, co-leader of the project for British Land, told The Guardian. “We intend to create a permanent cultural venue and put it on the map globally. Over the last six years, Printworks has become an iconic venue for electronic music and one of the top five clubs in the world. But our plans seek to push that to deliver a much broader programme.”

Printworks reportedly attracted more than 2.5 million visitors in its six years of being open and hosted over 300 concerts, including with Skepta, Gorillaz and Seth Troxler.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

Printworks London is set be given a reprieve from closure after developer British Land said it would work “to explore retaining a cultural venue” as part of its Canada Water scheme.

Operated by event production firm Vibration Group and programmed by Broadwick Live, the acclaimed nightclub and events venue opened in January 2017, leased from British Land.

The 6,000-cap venue looked set to close after Southwark Council gave the go-ahead for it to be converted into offices earlier this year, despite close to 700 objections and a petition signed by more than 11,000 people protesting Printworks’ closure.

However, an agreement is now being finalised for the venue continue to operate in the SE16 scheme, even after the redevelopment is completed.

“We’re pleased to confirm that I partnership with British Land we’re in detailed talks about our return to our much-loved venue”

A statement from the Printworks team reads: “We’re pleased to confirm that in partnership with British Land we’re in detailed talks about our return to our much-loved venue.

“While there is still a detailed planning process that needs to take place before we can 100% confirm the future of Printworks, we’re positive about our future.”

It continues: “At this point, we can confirm that the venue will close in the new year for a number of years during a period of modernisation as planned.

“As a team, we’re committed to preserving the essence of the iconic Press Halls and retaining the spirit that we’ve all come to love, so we are working hard in partnership with British Land on designs that only seek to elevate the space.”

“I’m delighted that Broadwick Live and British Land are working together to develop the next chapter for Printworks”

“I’m delighted that Broadwick Live and British Land are working together to develop the next chapter for Printworks,” says London’s Night Czar, Amy Lamé. “This fantastic temporary venue has become a major destination that attracts some of the biggest names in electronic music and visitors from all over the world. I will keep working with them and offer all the support we can to secure an exciting future for the venue.”

Printworks London comprises multiple performance spaces in a 16-acre former newspaper printworks in London’s Docklands, and has hosted acts such as Skepta, Gorillaz and Seth Troxler, as well as events including the BBC Proms,  but its use as a cultural space was previously intended to be temporary.

“It is noted that a significant number of objections have been received in respect of the loss of the club/music venue currently operating on the site,” said a council report in July. “It is acknowledged that this use has been very successful. However, the events use was initiated as a short term interim use in 2016 pending development of the building within the masterplan. It was never intended to be a permanent use of the site.”

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.