With no operator secured yet, there has been increasing concern about how long it will take until The New Standard opens, amid doubts about the venue’s commercial viability, reports Marco Marcelline
A long-promised music venue on the site of Blackhorse Lane’s former Standard pub still has no opening date in sight, as its developer searches for a music operator willing to take on the cost of fitting out and running the 500-capacity space.
The basement venue forms part of The Altham, the new nine-storey development at the corner of Blackhorse Lane and Forest Road.
The wider development opened to residents three months ago, but the purpose-built music space remains empty and requires an operator to carry out the final fit-out before it can open to the public.
Developer Morro told the Echo it was in “active discussions with a number of interested parties”, including potential operators who are being invited into the finished space to assess it for staging and sound equipment.
A spokesperson for Morro said: “We remain fully committed to delivering a new music venue at The Altham. We have already made a significant investment in creating a purpose-built venue, including specialist acoustic construction designed to allow live music and new homes to successfully coexist.
“The space has now been completed to a warm shell and we are excited about what it can become.”
A ‘warm shell’ space is a partially finished commercial property that includes basic infrastructure and interior finishes including plumbing and electrics, but an operator may still need to install or complete stage infrastructure, professional sound and lighting systems, bars and furniture.
The venue is intended to revive the musical legacy of The Standard, also known as The Royal Standard, which closed in 2011.
Planning documents submitted for the redevelopment say the new scheme was intended to “re-kindle the site’s role as an important music and cultural destination”.
But with no operator secured yet, residents have grown increasingly concerned about how long it will take until it opens, on top of
expressing concerns about the venue’s commercial viability.
A concerned Walthamstow local who asked not to be named told the Echo the delay to securing an operator for the venue was explained by the difficult economic situation facing music venues.
He said: “The reality is very few independent live music venues will have the deep pockets needed to invest into this space, especially when the terms of the lease in new developments typically have a no-break clause and rent is six figures plus business rates and management fees on top of that.”
He added: “And because the onus is on the building owner to find a live music operator, with no punitive measures from the council for delays or there being any incentives to hurry up, I won’t be surprised if the venue sits as an empty concrete shell for the foreseeable future.”
Planning documents show that there are no strict requirements on the owner to propose rent-free periods or make any financial contributions towards the venue’s fit-out.
Music Venue Trust reported earlier this year that UK grassroots venues were operating on average profit margins of only 2.5% in 2025, while 53% made no profit at all.
Meanwhile, in 2023, grassroots venues collectively spent £248million putting on live music but generated only £131m from ticket
sales, according to figures highlighted by the London Assembly.
The original planning submission for the development in 2022 estimated an annual market rent for the venue of £173,440
though this may have since decreased.
A Morro spokesperson said: “Having now completed the building we are entering a new phase in marketing the venue.
“Potential operators can now see and properly understand the space and its potential, and we can invite them to test it with stage and audio equipment, with technical support from the industry specialists and acoustic consultants who have helped us design and deliver it.
“The timescale for opening will ultimately be led by the operator we appoint and their fit-out out programme,” the spokesperson continued.
“Our focus is on finding the right operator to make the venue a long-term success, and we will do everything we can to support them in opening as soon as possible and bringing live music and events back to the site of The Standard.”
The residential side of the development has already been open for months, with the spokesperson adding that take-up of rooms at The Altham had been “very strong” since residents began moving in during the spring.
Waltham Forest Council said it shares residents’ desire to see music return to the former Standard site but stressed that responsibility for finding an operator lies with developer Morro.
Councillor Eva Tabbasam, cabinet member for housing and regeneration, said: “We want to see The Standard music venue in Blackhorse Lane open just as much as residents do, and as soon as possible.
“We understand residents’ concerns and would like to reassure them that we are in close discussions with Morro, the building owner, which is responsible for securing a suitable venue operator. Morro is taking the time to get this right to give the venue the best chance of success once it opens.”
She said Morro was speaking to “several potential operators, including experienced music venue providers”, with the council supporting the process.
“There is no confirmed opening date, as this will depend on securing an operator and completing the necessary fit-out works,” she added.
Morro said it had leased out one of its Blackhorse Lane units to a “local social enterprise” which is due to move in “shortly”.
But for residents who have waited years for music to return to this corner of Blackhorse Lane, the most important tenant is still to be announced.
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