A CLUB owner who hopes to host foreign film nights and line dancing events has called for the council to give more encouragement to the town’s bar and club industry.

Experienced events promoter and former Quasar owner Liam O’Neill opened H20 on Fleet Street last year. A decade ago, the premises were home to notorious nightclub Angelo’s, described by council licensing officers as “one of the most dysfunctional licensed premises in Britain”.

Liam, 33, wants to turn-around the club’s image, promoting H20 as a family-friendly venue and home to country music nights as well as old-fashioned 90s raves. He has already drawn visitors from across the UK keen to watch DJs perform at the club, which is named after the chemical formula for water in a bid to promote its responsible image.

He already has the backing from Swindon Borough Council’s licensing team to open from midday, allowing him to put on events earlier in the afternoon aimed at Swindonians of all backgrounds and ages.

But, in common with other small business-owners in the industry, Liam says he faces an uphill struggle in making H20 a success. Business rates have doubled in the past year, parking costs are high and the area's poor reputation doesn’t encourage punters.

Liam said: “If you’re trying to invest in this part of town you come up against a brick wall. Some of my customers say it’s costing them around £10 to park, which is ridiculous.

“We could do with a bit more encouragement. We can breathe a bit of life into the area. Anyone who objects to growth in the town centre needs firing.

“I’ve gone from paying £15,000 to £30,000 a year in business rates. I’m only open one or two days a week and my capacity is 100 people. I’ve got to make a ridiculous sum of money just to keep the wolves at bay.”

He questioned how much experience councillors had of bars, clubs and the wider night time economy, pointing to high rates of pub and club closures. Swindon has lost a quarter of pubs since 2010, government figures show.

H20 was helping to prop up the Fleet Street economy, Liam added: “By H20 being there people are being employed: bar staff have work, the door staff have work.”

Swindon-born Liam has been working in the entertainment industry for more than two decades. He cut his teeth running under-18s nights at the Brunel Rooms in the 1990s, knows the town’s nightclub scene well and understands the previous incarnations of his Fleet Street club have not been well liked by police, councillors and the public.

But he’s worked hard with police and the licensing authority to change the premises’ reputation: “It’s been an uphill struggle to get the doors open.”

'Businesses facing hardship should get in touch'

In response to Liam's comments, a spokesman for Swindon Borough Council said:“Business rates are not set by the council. They are set by the Valuation Office, which is part of Inland Revenue. We have noticed that the rateable value on this property did increase following the revaluation of all properties in the national revaluation in April 2017. It would be for Mr O’Neill to contact the Valuation Office to ask why this property assessment increased, as this is not a decision made by Swindon Borough Council.

“Mr O’Neill is benefitting from the ‘transitional relief’ given to businesses that ensure such increases are phased in, although the rates have still increased by approximately 20 per cent this year and will do so for the next few years, unless any appeal is successful.

“Businesses suffering from hardship can contact the council’s Business Rates team on 0845 602 0146 to discuss hardship relief and their payments.

“We can also confirm that no council-owned car parks in the town centre charge £10 to park.”

Not a strip club

Earlier this month, South Swindon parish councillors reacted with confusion to a planning application to extend he opening hours, which would ensure the club could open from midday. The club was referred to by its previous use as a gentleman’s club. Coun Nick Burns-Howell questioned why a strip club wanted to host wedding receptions, as suggested in the planning application.

But Liam said H20 had no plans to host either wedding receptions or nude dancing. Despite the implication of the planning application, which has since been withdrawn, H20 was a nightclub and not a gentleman’s club.

Instead, he wanted to host foreign film nights, showing Bollywood blockbusters, Polish-language cinema and other films aimed at Swindon’s diverse communities. Country music events were already proving popular with older dancers.

Certainly, he wanted no return to the venue’s seedy past, which saw police in 2007 called out 100 times in just eight months including to a knife fight.

Hitting back at complaints from local businesses that H20 would not help the town centre’s image if it was allowed to open longer, Liam said: “If clubs and bars are well-managed and well-run you don’t get these sorts of issues. The complaints were about us supposedly opening over longer hours as a strip club and not about what we are, which is a responsible events venue.”

Clubs like his could also play a part in regenerating the town centre, he said, pointing to high office vacancy rates in the area.