A BAR company planning to take over the Black Cap is facing protests from former customers after revealing plans to change its name and stop it being “solely an LGBT venue”. 

Campaigners who have spent nearly a year fighting to reopen the iconic cabaret bar have said they would challenge attempts to open anything other than an “LGBT venue that supports performance”.

Ruth and Robinson Ltd, which has signed a 25-year lease for the site in Camden High Street, said the bar “won’t be the Black Cap as people know it,” but added that it would respect its history as a cabaret venue by organising a series of “Black Cap Nights” at the bar, which is expected to be renamed “Hollenbeck’s”.

Ben Walters, a cabaret journalist and member of the Black Cap Foundation, said the concessions offered were “superficial and inadequate”. 

He said: “As we see it, they have two choices. On the one hand, they can go up against the community, the campaign and Camden Council, which is going to cost them a lot of money and bad publicity.

“On the other hand, they have got a tried-and-tested model in the shape of the Black Cap, which we know can make an awful lot of money.”

He added: “If that doesn’t happen, we have seen off other unsympathetic developers before and are confident we can do so again.”

Mr Walters said a survey of 180 former customers showed it was important to preserve the Black Cap’s name, adding: “The Black Cap has been on that site for centuries, and it’s been an iconic part of the LGBT community for more than 50 years.”

Last year, plans to open a branch of the Breakfast Club, a café-style diner with sites across London, fell through in the face of a fierce backlash from former customers. 

The Black Cap was shut without warning in April last year and put up for sale, but last month it was revealed that the owner, Kicking Horse Limited, had decided to retain the property and lease it to Ruth and Robinson. 

The closure last year led hundreds to join a protest in the street. Weekly vigils have been held in Camden High Street every Saturday for the past 10 months. 

Mr Walters said: “It must be an LGBT venue that supports performance. The details of how that works can and should be looked at and updated to make sure that fundamental vision can still be viable as times change.” 

In a statement, Sarah Weir, managing director of Ruth and Robinson, said she understood “the passion there is for the venue”. She was committed to reopening it as a “a bar for the whole community to enjoy once more”.

She said: “Our initial ideas will include a range of dedicated evenings to support cabaret and entertainment artists and to specifically target and feature new, young, up-and-coming artists. It will be a place for everyone to enjoy.”