THE Arches, one of Scotland’s leading arts centres and nightclubs, is to close immediately, with all upcoming events cancelled and all 133 staff made redundant.

Gordon Kennedy, chairman of The Arches’ board of directors said the venue had “no choice” but to enter administration. He said: “The Board has taken professional advice and is left with no other choice than to begin the process of appointing administrators for both The Arches Theatre Ltd and Arches Retail Ltd. This decision has been taken with deep regret as it will have a major impact on our staff, business partners, customers, and on Glasgow’s reputation for night-time economy.

“Our hope is that the administrators, working with partners and stakeholders, can salvage some of the activities for which The Arches is renowned.”

Glasgow Licensing Board took the decision to remove the club’s late-hours licence in April after Police Scotland warned councillors that there would be “potentially lethal consequences” unless action was taken. The removal of the licence effectively ended the club nights at the Arches which funded the artistic programming.

Yesterday a spokesperson for the board defended the decision: “Over 200 drug-related incidents were detailed at the most recent hearing as well as numerous call-outs to the ambulance service, which often related to people in life-threatening situations. The evidence presented to the board clearly showed that the continued operation of The Arches’ late-hours licence threatened public safety, created a risk of crime and endangered the health of individuals,” the spokesperson said.

“The financial situation of a premises can never be a factor in the decision making process of the board.”

The Arches had taken measures to address drug taking during club nights, and reported to police every incidence of drugs being found in the club. These calls ultimately formed the report that police used to have the late-licence removed. Drug campaigners warned yesterday that other clubs in Scotland would likely no longer phone police if drugs were found, in case those reports ended up costing them their licences.

Since The Arches was founded by Andy Arnold in 1990, it has been a starting point for many writers, musicians and actors, many of whom were upset at the news yesterday.

Actor Alan Cumming, told The National: “The Arches is an integral part of the Scottish arts scene, especially nurturing younger people and more experimental work. It is a shocking loss that it should be killed off in this way. I just don’t see what gain there is in this decision.” Playwright David Greig said: “It’s really shameful mismanagement by all the various authorities involved. This cultural institution and asset is at the absolute heart of Scottish theatre, music, performance arts and Scottish experimental culture and also part of the city’s fabric.”

Greig continued: “This is going to leave an enormous hole in the cultural life of Scotland, Britain and more widely around the world. That venue hosted shows and developed and promoted artists internationally and in Britain. The carelessness of this is absolutely bewildering and shameful. There surely must have been other ways to deal with this issue.”

Glasgow Green MSP Patrick Harvie said that the loss of the club was “avoidable” and that he hoped there was a way to find “new life” for The Arches.

Harvie said: “It’s also a venue which put consistent effort into addressing public safety issues, and was rightly recognised for having done so. The failure of our society’s drugs laws cannot be laid at their door, and moving drug use from this venue to one less used to dealing with these issues will do nothing for public safety.

“I’m disappointed that the city council decided to force The Arches into this position, and I’m surprised that despite the wave of public support not one other Glasgow MSP saw fit to support my call for a rethink. It remains open to Glasgow, to the Scottish Government, and to the arts community to try and find a new life for this important venue.”

A Creative Scotland spokesperson told The National: “We are extremely sad and disappointed that The Arches has started the process of appointing administrators. We are working hard with the organisation and other partners to explore options regarding the future of arts programming of this nature in Glasgow.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Arches’ cultural programme has made an important contribution to cultural life in Scotland, and its reputation as a place for creative innovation and groundbreaking performance is well-deserved. I am disappointed to hear that it has not been possible to find a way for The Arches to continue to deliver its cultural programme, despite the best efforts of Creative Scotland and Glasgow City Council to work together with The Arches to find a solution.”

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