Lambeth councillors will vote on whether Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus, who is promoting the spin-off from the West End musical and film smash hit Mamma Mia!, has done enough to allay concerns about late-night noise and disruption from fans of the Swedish pop group leaving the venue.
Up to 520 visitors a night are expected to attend Mamma Mia! The Party, where they will eat a meal at a Greek taverna-style dining area while the musical is played out around them.
At the end of the performance tables are cleared away and the guests are invited to join in with dancing and singing along to hits such as SOS, Voulez-Vouz and Take A Chance On Me.
Local groups have complained that the plan, which won conditional consent from Lambeth in November, will result in large groups of rowdy Abba enthusiasts disturbing local residents until late into the night.
They also claim that the proposed site on Stamford Street, which has been derelict since 1985, has long been earmarked for affordable housing.
Many opponents of the scheme are expected to attend the meeting this evening, where Lambeth’s planning committee will vote on the proposed visitor management plan from Ulvaeus and his business partner Ingrid Sutej. The plan was prepared by Andy Young, who has advised on crowd control at the London Olympics, the O2, Wembley Arena and the Science Museum.
Officers at Lambeth council have recommended approval of the plan, after an analysis of the original version of the show in Stockholm indicated that the number of guests arriving and leaving would be staggered evenly over the hour-long periods before the start and after the end of the main performance.
Michael Ball, who runs the Waterloo Community Development Group, said the meeting is likely to be “packed out” with opponents. Campaigners have also applied for a judicial review of the conditional planning consent.
Mamma Mia! The Party would operate each evening except Tuesdays, with afternoon matinees on Saturdays and Sundays.
