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"For any site in central London in 2015, maximum profit is not going to come from operating as a gay pub, however successful. "When developers talk about commercial viability, what they really mean is maximum profit," countered Ben Walters of RVT Future, the campaign to keep the venue open. They warn that a listing - backed by London mayor Boris Johnson and actor Ian McKellen - would only make things worse by imposing higher insurance premiums on the venue.
The developers, Immovate, say they want to keep the pub open but argue that it is a loss-making business that only survives because they do not charge any rent on the property. The venue was sold to developers last year and is now under threat of closure, according to campaigners who are fighting for it to be protected as a listed historic building.
Its advocates cite reports of drag acts here - female impersonation shows - as far back as the 1880s. There's absolutely nothing there now," Perkins said as he sat in south London's Royal Vauxhall Tavern.Ī Victorian circular pub featuring classical columns, a wooden bar and a stage draped with red curtains, the tavern is billed as Britain's oldest LGBT pub. "I made a special effort to come here from north London.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) campaigners say that as many as a quarter of London's gay venues have closed in recent years as luxury flats and chain stores mushroom - threatening to undermine the city's status as one of the world's gay capitals. Others are ditching bars and clubs altogether, and with the proliferation of dating websites and mobile phone apps, are choosing to make contacts online.