It looks like The Imperial in Sydneys inner-west might be closing its doors for good after an email was sent to staff advising them the landlord would be taking back possession of the prized real estate.

Known more recently for its all night adventures thanks to a 24-hour license and management by Spice Cellar the venue has been more so globally recognised for it’s LBGT friendly vibe and heritage within the community for the past few decades.

That was before hefty pressure from local council and Government services that included not one but two all weekend closures in a single month as well as individually imposed lockout laws and incorporating a drug detection dog forcing the current licensee (The Spice Cellar) to cease operation as outlined in a press release over the weekend.

It gets worse with the venue said to be halting operation entirely without a licensee who could provide both the financial backing and vision for such a venue after an email was sent to staff advising them they had no more jobs.

Although we’re hoping for someone to come forward and take control of the The Imperial in the same manner, pressure from the government surrounding Lockout Laws that even Russell Brands thinks are ridiculous and rising property prices would create two very big hurdles to overcome if the landlord was to decide to keep it as is.

Even though it’s easy to blame the man entirely it’s also up to the individual to look after themselves and consider their consumption of alcohol and other things as well as their surroundings, especially after reports of people urinating and defecating in the near vicinity.

This puts additional pressure on the venue to have to respect not only heavy handed government services but also residents who seemingly were fine but not anymore.

As it stands bar staff, security and a the owners of a brand that have been bringing international talent to Australia for yeas now have no jobs.

What to do? Follow Chillout Sydney, an initiative to re-ignite the entertainment of our city as well as Stop The Music, a page to aimed to raise awareness of the current suffocation of Sydney.

That or keep sharing an op-ed on-site dubbed ‘Sydney… Could you please chill the fuck out with the nanny state vibes’ to help mobilise the community and start to change the obvious crush of our rights to enjoy ourselves.