Sorry but stop Mamma Mia The Party

Hello Zeebee

Yes, the site is empty so a temporary venue needs building. The local council, Lambeth, have to grant planning permission. The Lambeth Planning Application committee members all saw that it is nigh on impossible for the applicant to mitigate anti-social behaviour and asked they return with an improved visitor management plan. Basically, this process is underway.

The application also needs an alcohol license but this has not been applied for yet.

Hello Jens

Yes, you are correct. There is both concern about the disturbance that this specific proposal would cause and there is a long term dispute about land use in Waterloo.

Please try to understand the potential for disturbance. The proposal includes a dance floor, live music, recorded music. Customers are encouraged to drink, sing and dance. It is a lively, party night out marketed to groups. People, families, live right next door, right opposite. Our bedrooms are 5 meters from the venue. Our homes are in every direction to transport and the South Bank cultural quarter. This is mostly social housing. We live in flats. Our bedrooms face right on the street. Cars, taxis and coaches will drop off and pick up right outside bedroom windows. We will have dozens of pedicabs jostling for business blasting Abba from their mobile sound systems. All right on our doorsteps. Look at the image on our web site here

There is also the dispute over land. Briefly, in the 1970s the community here won a huge campaign which saw a large piece of land handed over to the community. Mostly for housing but also other community ameneties such as community centre and small business units. A body was created to take ownership of the land on behalf of the community. This was called Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB). Unfortunately CSCB are an unaccountable private company who have over the years grown ever distant from the community they claim to represent.

After 33 years CSCB have yet to build the houses they are obliged to according to their founding agreements. Much of the land remains undeveloped. CSCB have give some land for free to a big private company, Ballet Rambert. Yet they claim they need the money from this proposal.

CSCB has a huge revenue stream and incredible assets. They were sold this amazing piece of land at a very cheap price on the understanding they would develop it for the community. It is shocking they cannot manage these assets well enough to build homes.

If the proposed Mamma Mia site is lost to a commercial development CSCB do not seem to have the land left to meet their home building obligations.

More info here or ask me if you prefer.

I'm 100% behind you. I love ABBA's music but this will damage their legacy if it goes ahead. You CAN have too much of a good thing.

For what it's worth, I find the Mamma Mia the Party thing a terrible idea in the first place. I haven't read too much about it but it's most likely hugely expensive and out of reach of most people's pockets. I'd bet money on it lol

Anyway, I wish you every success. This should not go ahead! Wake up Björn Ulvaeus! You're rich beyond your wildest dreams, this won't affect you, but most people aren't and have to get up every day and go to their tiring, ordinary jobs. They NEED their sleep!

I doubt that libraries and ABBA the Party are busy at the same time of the day!

The trouble with some rich people is they become divorced from the everyday reality of life for most people. They live in such luxury that they forget about the concerns of ordinary people. Even Frida is guilty of it. She made some comment, I forget the details now, damn it, but it proved that she had lost touch. It wasn't meant in a mean way, it was just thoughtless. We don't all have apartments here and there and homes by the sea. I hope Bjorn does some research and comes to his senses.

Hello erikoslo

Yes it is true that the application is for 5 years. However, the application was originally for 10 years. Once in place it will be in a good position to apply for an extension.

Of all the possible locations in all of the world's great cities, what are the chances that the most suitable site happens to be Waterloo? The next one will no doubt be in Happy Hawaii. Björn will promote it by working Honolulu into Mamma Mia! 3. Tropical Loveland on a bouzouki; I can't wait. 

I agree with Josef. It took the thick end of two decades for the quality of ABBA's music to be reassessed as something more than pop confectionery. Björn's commercial interventions are undermining a hard-won legacy that is based, to be honest, on Benny's compositional genius and the girls' world class vocals.

This isn't really an ABBA project though; Benny made that clear when he was interviewed at the opening of the Stockholm venue. It was very much Björn's baby and Benny didn't look too pleased about it.

Waterloo makes sense as the perfect location, in the same way that the perfect culinary experience will be assured by restricting the choice of Head Chef to applicants named Fernando. I'm afraid that this is the cheesy way that Björn is framing ABBA's future, whereas Benny knows that they could just let the music speak.

What on earth are you going on about?! I never said Björn had stolen a piece of land. I stand by what I said. He needs a wake-up call.