#23.02.24

The 23,500 Co-op Live venue in Manchester is set to open in April

By Liberty Dunworth | 23rd February 2024

Bosses of two of the largest indoor UK arenas have come to blows, with one accusing the other of trying to block its launch date for competitive reasons.

The conflict is between the AO Arena in Manchester (operated by ASM Global) and the upcoming 23,500 seat venue Co-op Live, which is set to open in the city this April.

In a licensing meeting for the latter, ASM Global had objected over “public safety” reasons and accused the application for a licence being “simply unlawful”.

Initially, ASM stated they had no issue with the new venue opening until midnight, however, issues arose at the prospect of the space being allowed to open until 2am at the weekend. In written submissions to Manchester City Council’s licensing committee, the operator of AO Arena said it only wanted to promote licensing objectives to “safeguard public safety and the prevention of public nuisance”.

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Elsewhere, opposition towards the venue having its licence granted has come from 32 residents, two councillors, the council’s public health team, and the Music Venue Trust (MVT).

For the latter, this comes as Co-op Live had “declined” to sign up for a £1-per-ticket levy which funds the MVT’s “pipeline investment fund” for grassroots venues. During the hearing, Mark Donnelly suggested that the MVT’s objection was out of spite due to the refusal to opt-in for the levy, however, MVT’s Niall Forde said this suggestion was “inflammatory” and “entirely false” (via BBC).

The MVT has instead taken issue with the venue’s “ancillary spaces” being allowed to stay open later into the night, because of the impact it will have on neighbouring residents and smaller businesses.

The licensing hearing continues.

News of the MVT’s issue with the arena opening comes in light of it sharing a report, showing the “disaster” that struck the UK’s grassroots music venues in 2023.

Last year, the MVT delivered their first annual report at the Houses Of Parliament – warning grassroots gig spaces in the UK were “going over a cliff” without urgent government action and investment from new large arenas.

-> full article here on NME.com