Lambeth Council's Licensing Sub-Committee has granted a variation to the premises licence for Metropolis London, allowing for extended operating hours on Fridays and Saturdays. The venue, located at Arches 72 to 73, Goding Street, SE11 5AW, will now be permitted to sell alcohol, play recorded music, and serve late-night refreshments until 3:00 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. The premises' opening hours will also be extended to 3:30 AM on these days.
The decision followed an application to vary the existing licence, which faced an objection from the Licensing Authority. The authority raised concerns that the requested hours exceeded those recommended in Lambeth's Licensing Policy and could potentially exacerbate public nuisance associated with street drinking and anti-social behaviour in the Vauxhall area. Specifically, the policy advises a terminal hour of 01:00 hours Monday to Sunday for 'Other entertainment venue/theatre' premises within a District Centre, a limit the application sought to extend to 03:00 for licensable activities and 03:30 for opening hours on Fridays and Saturdays.
However, ward councillors Martin and Dr. Tom Swaine submitted representations in support of the application, believing the venue would not be negatively impacted and would benefit the area. The committee considered these representations in reaching its decision.
A key condition of the variation is that between 1:00 AM and closing, the premises will operate exclusively for pre-booked private events with a maximum of 450 attendees, excluding staff, and will not be open to the general public. Metropolis London has agreed to implement this condition, which also includes keeping a written record of all such pre-booked events, including the organiser's name, nature of the event, and number of attendees, to be made available to Police and authorised officers upon request. The typical nature of these events is not detailed, but they will differ from usual operations by being exclusively for pre-booked private events and not open to the general public during those hours.
The application also included a provision for an additional hour on the day British Summer Time begins.
It is noted in the supporting document for Metropolis London that the premises sits beside numerous sites which operate later hours, including Paradise Club, Bootylicious and Pico Bar. However, the document does not detail how these venues have impacted the community. For more details on the licensing policy and the application, refer to the Public reports pack Thursday 16-Jul-2026 19.00 Licensing Sub-Committee.