Soho’s famous Groucho Club is set to learn on Wednesday whether it can reopen after an alleged rape at the premises last month.
The private members’ club, frequented by top names in the entertainment and arts industries, was temporarily closed and had its licence suspended after a woman reported being raped inside the venue in November.
A 34-year-old man was arrested in Hertfordshire over the incident inside the Dean Street premises, which police previously said they were treating as a “serious crime”. He was later released on bail.
Councillors at Westminster City Council will decide at a hearing on Wednesday morning whether the venue can reopen or whether its licence should be revoked.
The meeting is expected to be held partially in private, with a decision due later. Councillors can decide to reinstate the licence, further suspend it, place additional conditions on the club, or revoke the licence entirely.
Documents relating to the hearing, which are normally available to view publicly and would shed further light on the alleged crime, have so far remained confidential while police investigate.
In earlier statements, both Scotland Yard and the club said that staff at the club were not being treated as suspects in the case.
The club is understood to have cooperated with the council’s licensing sub-committee, acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and accepted the earlier suspension of its licence.
The Groucho is one of London’s most well-known private members’ clubs and has a long association with A-list celebrities.
It has previously counted Noel Gallagher, Rachel Weisz, Lily Allen and Stephen Fry as being among its members.
It was originally set up in 1985 as a more relaxed alternative to traditional gentlemen’s clubs, and current members “should have a creative role within the creative industries and share the club’s maverick spirit”, according to the venue’s website.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson previously said: “The 34-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of rape on Saturday, 30 November has been bailed until a date in late February.”