Kingston looks like it might still have a large live music venue despite the proposed demolition of the Hippodrome.

A “six-figure” deal is currently being made, and it is expected to go through soon once licensing issues are sorted.

Councillor Jon Tolley runs Banquet Records and puts on a huge number of gigs in Kingston every year, and he has been involved in the process.

He said: “Everything seems to be in place. There’s a lot of money involved from a few people. It’s really positive news.

“It should be even better than we have right now.”

Plans for a radical redevelopment of Surrey House in central Kingston, which contains the Hippodrome, have been submitted to the council.

Councillor Tolley took a petition arguing “Kingston needs a large live music venue” to council in October 2017, with more than 5,000 signatures of support.

He said the petition put the issue on London government’s radar, and that Sadiq Khan’s team had been helpful in driving what he calls a “commercial solution” to the problem.