Bid to list closed music venue as community asset

Campaigners have called for a former music venue in York to be listed as an asset of community value.

The Victoria Vaults on Nunnery Lane is currently shut but the city's branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has applied for it to be protected and said its "significance to the cultural life of the city was acknowledged both nationally and locally".

However, the owner said the site was previously on the list of community assets but had been removed in November 2025 and there had been no offers to lease the building in the past year.

The application will be decided at a City of York Council meeting on Tuesday.

In a statement, a CAMRA spokesperson said they believed there was "a realistic chance that it can reopen and resume its community function".

"The pub exceeded the criteria for a community asset - by having a wide appeal to different social groups by offering an alternative to other amenities in the area that appeal to other demographics and tastes," they said.

"It hosted over 150 gigs a year encompassing a diverse range of musical genres."

They argued that a lack of interest in the leasehold was down to uncertainty over the future of the building.

However, the owner of the site submitted a statement urging the council to refuse the application.

They said: "The ground floor leasehold has been marketed by Barry Crux & Co at £25,000 per annum since August 2025 and is available today."

They claimed it would cost £250,000 to bring the building back into use and that "no offer, no funded proposal, no lawful operating model" had been made.

A council report said there had been two previous applications to nominate The Victoria Vaults but both were withdrawn.

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