Bar plan for street art show pulled after objections
PLANS to sell alcohol at an M Shed exhibition featuring works by Banksy and other street-art pioneers have been scrapped after cornerns were raised by residents and nearby businesses.
Organisers applied for a premises licence for the summer event at Vanguard Art Bar, which will celebrate the city’s role in British graffiti culture.
But following objections from neighbours, drinking establishments in Cargo and The Matthew of Bristol Trust, it was abandoned.
Vanguard solicitor Piers Warne told councillors the application for a bar at the exhibition, which will display works not previously seen and some not shown in public for more than 20 years, including by artists Henry Chalfant, Banksy, Beezer and Massive Attack star 3D, was being withdrawn “gracefully” because of the concerns.
He told Bristol City Council licence sub-committee members: “It was not only a bar but a space for community projects, such as children’s and adults’ workshops, but the bar was intricately linked with paying for this.
“We worked with the police and regulatory authorities very closely and drafted a very robust application and operating schedule. This was never about money and this was never going to be a vertical drinking festival bar.”
Mr Warne said Vanguard production director Dave Smeaton operated hospitality businesses in Bristol “so he appreciates the concerns raised”.
“The application was supposed to complement the exhibition but on the back of these objections the applicant is withdrawing gracefully the application today,” the solicitor said.
“The reality is he never wanted to be considered hurting any other businesses in the area or causing any issues.
“This is supposed to be something that celebrates a major part of Bristol’s cultural heritage.
“We wish the Cargo businesses all the very best for hopefully a bumper summer and autumn and that the residents enjoy living in such a vibrant and important cultural area in the heart of Bristol.
“It is sad in some ways but those are the reasons why we are withdrawing.”
He said they wanted to explain why because there were some “misconceptions in the representations” against the application to sell alcohol from noon to 10pm Monday to Saturday and until 8pm on Sundays.
Mr Smeaton told the virtual meeting: “I hope everyone enjoys the exhibition. It does demonstrate the history of an important part of the culture of Bristol.
“We never intended to cause any offence to any businesses or residents in the area, so hopefully you will appreciate what we’re trying to do.”
The Matthew of Bristol treasurer and vice-chairman Richard Sandwell told members: “We never had any problem with the purpose of the event itself and fully support it. It was just the alcohol questions, so the explanation given is much appreciated.”
The event, called Bristol Street Art: The Evolution of a Global Movement, which was postponed last year because of the pandemic, will celebrate the instrumental role the city’s creatives played in the development of British street art, with rare works by leading Bristolian, UK and Irish artists from the late 1990s.