This is the year of the night mayor. It feels as though I’ve written more about this subject than anything else this year, as more and more people advocate for the election of a mayor – or some class of representative – to oversee their city’s night-time economy.
But the actions of one common-or-garden mayor could have a big impact on his city’s nightlife. London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, is promising to introduce “agent of change” legislation in the city, which could have a huge positive impact on its cultural and night-time activities.
With more and more developers seeking to turn buildings and spaces in desirable areas into high- yielding apartments and residential buildings (or even Airbnb dorms), the squeeze is on to take over the artistic spaces in those areas. Suddenly, venues, clubs and the like, which brought life to the area, are seen as a nuisance, with developers and new arrivals demanding costly alterations to existing structures to curtail noise and the like.
What Khan is proposing is a different way of looking at how city life works. His “agent of change” rule, intended for the next London Plan, would mean “developers building flats near existing venues will need to ensure that residents are not unduly affected by sound from the venue, and that may include paying for soundproofing.”
This means that it will be incumbent on the newcomer – the one who is causing the change in a neighbourhood – to provide the necessary fixes and fixtures to keep everyone happy. Soundproofing
Khan’s move comes on the back of a considerable brouhaha about London’s Curzon Mayfair cinema. Developers turning space above the Curzon into flats have complained about noise from the cinema and want the owners to pay the £500,000 bill for soundproofing, something the latter are unwilling to do
The agent of change solution is quite sensible in these cases. One of the attractions of city living is the kind of organic, mixed-use development that brings so many different activities together. Naturally, there will always be some who move into an area with a busy and colourful nightlife, such as Dublin’s Temple Bar, who expect peace and quiet when the sun goes down. However, doesn’t the fact that pubs, clubs and venues were there long before flats popped up in the streets mean that the onus to deal with the change and disruption is with the owners of the latter rather than the former?
The introduction of innovations such as agent of change policies helps to create a better environment for all citizens. It shows a willingness to accept and acknowledge the contribution to city life made by those involved in the night-time economy, a sector which contributes both money and municipal soft power to a city. It also encourages other potential cultural players to go for it.
The problem is finding city officials with the same open-minded approach as Khan. I was involved in organising a public discussion about night mayors a few months back and the unwillingness of city officials and elected representatives to attend or participate told its own story. Unless they are prepared to get involved, all the talk about how to make the most of what happens in the city after dark is really just, well, talk.
