Christopher BarrettThe Academy Music Group (AMG) operated O2 Academy Brixton is to remain closed for the foreseeable future, with Lambeth Council having announced a “thorough” Health and Safety review.
The South London venue has been closed since a crowd crush in and around the building on 15 December last year claimed the lives of two people and left a third in a critical condition.
The council has appointed Paul Martin, the former CEO of multiple councils, to independently lead the health and safety investigation into the incident, acting under Regulation 3 and Schedule 1 of the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations 1998.
The council said it is also reviewing licensable activities at the venue, and the Met Police are investigating the major incident. It said Martin has been working closely with the Met to aid its investigation since the start of the year.
Lambeth Council’s chief executive Bayo Dosunmu said, “We are very mindful of the profound impact this incident has had on many people who were present at the O2 Academy on that night and on the family and loved ones of the two people who tragically lost their lives that evening, and the person that remains in a critical condition.
“In order that Lambeth Council rigorously and independently investigates what happened on that evening, I have asked one of London’s most experienced former chief executives to lead on the health and safety investigation on behalf of the council, working closely with the Metropolitan police.
“My commitment is to ensure that this is investigated thoroughly.I appreciate that the O2 Academy Brixton is an iconic and much-loved venue, and the impact of the current closure will be felt keenly by many people in Brixton and further afield. However, we are acutely aware of our fundamental health and safety responsibility, and that this consideration overrides all others.”