Threat to Stockholm nightclub sparks killjoy row
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The Trädgården nightclub, which has occupied a site under a flyover on Södermalm since 2009 and which welcomed 300,000 revellers last year, has had its planning permission rescinded by a government agency after complaints from neighbours.
The threatened closure of Trädgården is one in a series of decisions that critics say threaten the vibrancy of Swedish nightlife. In May an appeals court in Gothenburg ruled that bars without an indoor dining area could not be granted an alcohol licence. The decision threatens to put the country's growing number of outdoor bars out of business.
Now a coalition of politicians, musicians and ordinary Stockholmers are trying to save Trädgården, giving rise to a debate about whether enough is being done to protect Stockholm's - and Sweden's - nightlife . Over 50,000 people have signed a petition to save Trädgården, among them singer Veronica Maggio.
The club's original planning permission was granted on a temporary basis in 2009 and renewed periodically since then. It was granted permanent planning permission by Stockholm City Council in April, despite the council's own planning experts advising against it.
Irritated neighbours complained to the Stockholm County Administrative Board, which represents the central government in Stockholm, and planning permission was rescinded. According to the County Administrative Board, Trädgården is located in an area earmarked for harbour activities, not nightlife, and the planning permission was therefore invalid.
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Yet according to newspaper Dagens ETC, of 114 local residents contacted by the council's planning department, only two were against extending the club's planning permission. Comments on social media questioned why people had moved to a vibrant part of the city if they couldn't hack the noise.
Politicians from across the political spectrum - apart from the Sweden Democrats - have spoken out in favour of Trädgården being allowed to remain open. Left Party leader Nooshi Dagostar has been snapped wearing a 'Bevara Trädgården' ('Save Trädgården') t-shirt.
Locally, Christofer Fjellner, leader of the centre-right opposition Moderate Party on Stockholm council said in a Facebook post that the County Administrative Board was trying to 'create a quieter, more desolate Södermalm'.
'Stockholm needs urban joy! It doesn't only make our city more fun, it creates growth and safety. [Trädgården] has transformed a previously desolate and unsafe place into a unique institution that reaches far beyond Stockholm.' He also said that venues like Trädgården were important in persuading tech talent to choose Stockholm over places like Berlin.
Social Democrat councillor Jan Valeskog, responsible for planning issues, said to Svenska Dagbladet that it was 'very regrettable' that the County Administrative Board had denied planning permission. 'There are grounds for the government to consider how they want government agencies to act over issues like this.'
Other politicians have gone further, with local Moderate Party politician Rebecca Nordin calling for the County Administrative Board itself to be abolished.
Trädgården has appealed the decision to the courts. Meanwhile, the government has proposed to scrap the law that requires bars to have indoor seating and to serve food.
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