Illegal rave venue shut down – to the relief of sleep-deprived neighbours

By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter

An illegal rave venue in Marylebone where loud music is said to have run from 3am until noon has been shut down by the council and police.

Residents in nearby Nassau Street said those living in top-floor flats experienced the most sound disturbance. Some said the busy nature of Mortimer Street meant they’ve learnt to block out most of the noise.

Westminster City council and the Met said they became aware of issues with squatters in the vacant commercial property following complaints from residents about illegal raves, which they said sometimes lasted more than 14 hours and featured music so loud nearby walls shook.

Rose Whiffen and her partner Ollie Knox, both 30, and who live around the corner, said they heard raves take place at the abandoned office block in Mortimer Street at least three times.

Rose said: “At first I didn’t know what it was I was hearing. I thought it was a new club that opened, but when residents told me what had been happening, I put two and two together.”

They said they could hear a heavy thud and a distinctive drum and bass sound whenever a rave kicked off, which they said was always on a weekend.

Rose said: “It’s weird hours. It starts at 3am and so I’m already asleep. It’s when you wake up [in the morning] that you realise it’s going on. It’s disorientating.”

The premises’ landlord sought a court order to boot the squatters out but a delay in this being issued meant the Met and the council had to intervene because of ongoing reports of thumping music, crowds of partygoers under the influence of drugs and alcohol spilling out into the street and antisocial behaviour such as littering and public urination.

The Met issued a Closure Notice, which prohibited access to the property for 48 hours, while Westminster City council served a Section 80 notice, allowing officers to seize noise-making equipment.

The authorities were able to access the property with the landlord and moved on three squatters and secured the premises. A 24/7 security team remained on site.

On February 22, the court issued a Closure Order, which legally prohibits access to the premises for everyone bar those specified in the order for a three-month period.

Residents have been reluctant to be named in commenting, but one said: “Only when the ‘venue’ was closed and life returned to normal, I fully realised the impact it had on our lives, and how nice it is to be able to have uninterrupted sleep on weekends.

“No loud music all night and well into the morning, no noise, no rubbish left by people attending the raves. It feels safe now.”

Another said: “Since the closer order was granted, everything else simply just improved. A home should be your place of peace, not a place where it becomes a prison.”

Deputy council leader and cabinet member for public protection, Aicha Less, said: “These illegal raves have caused huge disruption for these residents, turning their lives upside down.

“If people see this sort of selfish and disrespectful behaviour happening, they should report it to the police as soon as possible or use the council’s report it service.”

The council said that after a spike of unauthorised music events during the first lockdown of 2020, events like this are on the decline.

Pictured top: The illegal rave venue in Mortimer Street being shut down (Picture: Westminster City council)