Venue says ‘we won’ following stressful licensing battle
Meetings have taken place
The owners of Carnglaze Caverns, the underground music venue which lost its licence in January, have announced “we won” following a stressful battle to prove they have always been safe to operate.
A Cornwall Council licensing sub-committee made the decision to revoke the venue’s premises licence in January after Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service raised safety concerns.
The licence was removed despite protestations from Charlie Perkins, the son of the caverns’ owners Lisa and Tony Perkins, that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regularly inspects the venue which had met all the safety goals set down by the HSE.
The Rum Store at Carnglaze Caverns, which is based at St Neot, near Liskeard, has been run as a venue for over two decades and has one of the longest wedding aisles in Cornwall.
The venue owners have now taken to social media to reveal that its future is safe.
They said: “We won! We are hugely relieved to announce that Carnglaze Caverns retains its premises licence.
“After months of stress and uncertainty, Cornwall Council has signed a consent order and we keep our licence, on terms we had proposed from the outset.
“It has been confirmed that we do, and always have, operated within the safety regulations set out by the HSE, the correct regulatory authority for health and safety at the Caverns.
“In short: we are, and have always been, a safe venue and we cannot wait to welcome visitors and gig-goers for the foreseeable future.
“A huge thank you to all you lovely people who visited, supported us, bought a ticket, attended a show and helped keep this place alive. Genuinely. Grassroots music venues can only survive because of people like you.
“We are truly sorry to everyone involved in events that had to cancel. The situation was beyond our control. Rest assured we are back in business and excited for the future!”
The announcement has received a huge response from both customers and musicians who have played at the venue.
Willie Edwards, of Wille and the Bandits, said “best news this year”, while 3 Daft Monkeys wrote “absolutely brilliant news guys! An exceptionally beautiful and well-run venue, may you prosper”.
Philip White added: “Excellent news, common sense wins the day and a valuable entertainment venue restored.”