The Joiners Arms: Funds raised to replace LGBTQ+ bar

The Joiners Arms (pictured in 2012) opened in 1997 and included fashion designer Alexander McQueen among its customers

A gay bar in east London which was shut down by a developer is to be replaced after a successful crowdfunding campaign.

Friends of the Joiners Arms (FOTJA) said it was "ecstatic" it had raised more than £100,000 to open a new venue.

The Hackney Road bar was closed in 2015 after the site in Shoreditch was sold, to be turned into flats and offices.

A developer had agreed to fund a new LGBTQ+ venue on the same site but its plans have stalled.

FOTJA said it was now looking for a temporary venue in Hackney or Tower Hamlets to open a not-for-profit bar, which would host events such as cinema nights and drag shows. Once the business is established, the group said it would seek a permanent venue.

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Amy Roberts, FOTJA's chair, said: "We're ecstatic and we can't wait to see the dream become a reality."

The group exceeded its fundraising target by asking people to buy shares in the new venture.

"It's incredible, we have been so blown away by the support we've received," Dr Roberts said.

However, she added while reaching the £100,000 milestone was a massive achievement for the community, "the Joiners didn't need to close in the first place".

'Iconic bar'

In 2017, Tower Hamlets Council granted permission for a mixed development on the original Joiners Arms site, stipulating it must include an LGBTQ+ venue.

Later, the plans were altered to include a hotel. However, this scheme has now been cancelled, meaning the site owner does not now have to fund a new bar.

Regal London, the development manager, said it was "disappointed" that its plans to restore the "iconic" bar had stalled, adding it had been due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the hospitality sector.

Steve Harrington, planning director at Regal London, said: "We would like to continue to work closely with the Friends of the Joiners Arms on their plans for the future, our relationships with our neighbours and community groups are key, and we'll do what we can to support this important space to be created."

FOTJA has now become a wider campaign for "protecting and creating queer spaces".

In 2016, research by University College London found 58% of LGBTQ+ venues in London had closed during the previous decade.

Tower Hamlets Council has been approached for comment.

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