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# New LGBTQ+ venue announced on site of XXL gay club, which closed its doors in 2019 despite opposition from LGBTQ+ community
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/new-lgbtq-venue-announced-on-site-of-xxl-gay-club-which-closed-its-doors-in-2019-despite-opposition-from-lgbtq-community/
- Published: 2025-01-16T11:05:17.000Z
- Updated: 2025-01-16T11:05:17.000Z
- Description: Southwark Council has announced it is investing £1.5million towards the opening of a new LGBTQ+ venue in Bankside, on the site of the former XXL gay club that closed in 2019. The funds will be used to fit out the LGBTQ+ space, which will open in 2026 between two railway arches at Bankside Yards. The
- Author: Graham Robson
- Tags: LGBTQ, London

**Southwark Council** has announced it is investing £1.5million towards the opening of a new LGBTQ+ venue in **Bankside**, on the site of the former **XXL** gay club that closed in 2019.

The funds will be used to fit out the LGBTQ+ space, which will open in 2026 between two railway arches at **Bankside Yards**.

The space, which will feature a theatre and workspace, will be on the site of XXL, which closed in September 2019 [despite a petition](https://www.change.org/p/sadiq-khan-stop-xxl-london-s-eviction-from-their-current-venue?ref=scenemag.co.uk) urging it to remain open receiving almost 6,000 signatures.

> Very proud that Labour Southwark Council is investing in LGBTQ+ services! ️‍️‍⚧️  
>  
> This is a serious investment by the council into an inclusive LGBTQ+ venue, hosting a theatre and workspace, in central London. [https://t.co/iRsvzRReT1](https://t.co/iRsvzRReT1?ref=scenemag.co.uk)  
>  
> — Cllr David Parton (@DavidParton\_) [January 15, 2025](https://twitter.com/DavidParton%5F/status/1879532201186086978?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=scenemag.co.uk)

Councillor **Victor Chamberlain** (**Lib Dem**) from Southwark Council wrote on social media platform X: “Borough and Bankside Liberal Democrat councillors secured a deal to protect this LGBTQ+ space when XXL closed.

“I’ve worked with the council and developers to ensure this happens. This is welcome progress, but we need a Southwark LGBTQ+ strategy to support more spaces and businesses.”

**Greater London Authority data has shown that more than half of London’s LGBTQ+ venues closed between 2006 and 2022.**  

Numbers fell from 125 to 50, with venues citing the cost-of-living crisis and rising rents as being among the reasons for closing.