The owners of Hippodrome nightclub have denied they want to close down despite the claims of Kingston Council’s leader.

The nightclub is set to be bulldozed in the next five years to make way for the new Eden Quarter redevelopment project.

Council leader Kevin Davis told the Surrey Comet last week: "I’m not sure [Hippodrome] want to stay open.

"I don’t know if they are making that much money.

"It’s not the council shutting them.

"Their lease is up and I think they want to close."

But Peter Marks, chief executive of the Luminar Group, which owns both the Hippodrome and Pryzm in Clarence Street, has denied the claims.

Mr Marks said: "We have no desire to close the Hippodrome, which has been part of Kingston nightlife for many years and we hope for many more to come.

"It offers a different clubbing experience to other venues in the town and is looked upon fondly by its loyal management, staff and customers."

McClusky’s, another popular town centre music venue, will also close its doors when the second phase of the Riverside Kingston restaurant development gets underway in 2019.

The Surrey Comet’s story on the potential loss of two of the town's biggest nightclubs sparked a huge reaction online last weekend.

In response to the story, Grove by election candidate and Banquet Records owner Jon Tolley published a video on YouTube accusing the council of not caring about young people in the borough.

Mr Tolley said: "I do not understand the whole kind of apathy.

"Particularly the statement, 'Don’t worry that Hippodrome and McClusky’s are closing down because there are still plenty of places you can go. You can go to Pryzm.'

Watch Jon Tolley's "stream of consciousness" video on Kingston's music scene (Contains some strong language)

 

"Are you kidding me? That place was almost shut down for all the wrong kind of reasons recently. Do you even understand what our music culture is or what the people of Kingston want to do? It’s bonkers."

Mr Marks echoed Mr Tolley’s statement saying he believed a "varied night-time economy was vital for any town centre survival, especially for a university town like Kingston."

He added: "We would encourage local developers to consider this when reviewing plans for the future."

Coun Davis added: "They may not want to close but they don’t have much of a choice. The planning application is already in for McClusky’s.

"I don’t disagree with Jon Tolley. Maybe we don’t understand young people Kingston. I think Kingston is missing a live music venue.

"If Jon wants to talk to me about finding one, I haven’t got any money, but I’m perfectly happy to talk and listen to his ideas."