Liverpool warehouse under investigation for unauthorized road closures during rave events. Probe ongoing since September.
A warehouse faces more trouble from the city. It might have closed roads without asking, and has been under investigation for over a year.
Blackstone Street Warehouse held big rave events without proper permission. Videos showed large crowds at the venue, with shows booked far into the future. The warehouse was also up for a BBC award.
Someone sent a picture to the Echo showing a “road closed” sign on Blackstone Street. Roads were apparently closed several times.
In September 2023, an investigation started, checking on planning consent for the warehouse. The council told the Echo it is still working on this as events still happen at the venue near Bramley-Moore Dock.
A council email said they wrote to the operators, asking them to apply for proper planning permission. The operator never replied to the council. The Events Company got a premises license in 2022 for the venue listed as The Red Shed.
They can play music until almost midnight daily and sell alcohol until 11:45 PM.
Officials visited the site during events to check compliance. The place was complying with objectives back in September when the fire service and police also went there.
Council staff described the venue’s usual activity level, noting the management team seemed good. They never had license issues with the venue, but new pictures showed coned-off roads nearby in January on at least two occasions.
A police van entered the cordoned area once, but the police said they have no record of that visit.
No date is set to end the planning probe; the council says it is ongoing. They confirmed no road closure requests ever came in from Blackstone Street and they spoke to the event organizer about this.
The BBC said the award celebrates dance music, recognizing important artists and tracks of the year.
The Echo tried to contact the warehouse team for comments, but they did not reply by publication.