Hackney venue MOTH Club is celebrating a “huge win” in their battle to stay open, but have maintained that the “fight is not over” and they still need the help of fans to survive.
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The legendary independent venue’s future was at risk over two separate planning applications for flats on Morning Road next to the venue, which were submitted to Hackney Council. The venue asked local residents to voice their opposition to the developments to the council, and as of December 2025, the council had received over 27,000 emails of objection.
If the developments were to go ahead, they would have raised the chances of a resident lodging a noise complaint, even though the Agent of Change principle means that it would be the developers’ responsibility to adequately soundproof the new developments. As a result, the Music Venue Trust said that if MOTH Club were to be lost, it would pose an “existential threat” to all grassroots venues.
Now, there has been progress in MOTH Club’s fight to survive, given that Hackney Council has now rejected one of the planning applications.
The proximity of the development to MOTH Club was one of the primary reasons the application was rejected. According to the official planning refusal, the proposal “fails to demonstrate that the new residential use would not result in unreasonable restrictions being placed on the MOTH Club”, contravening both the London Plan and the National Policy Planning Framework.
The proposed development was also found to have not provided enough affordable housing and lacked provisions for disabled residents, while the site had “a strong possibility of containing remains of archaeological importance”.
MOTH Club’s Keith Miller shared a statement to NME reading: “Hello friends of the Moth Club,
“We finally have some news, the planning application next door to us has been refused, we wholeheartedly welcome this news. It’s the result of a huge amount of hard work from everyone at the venue, the MVT, the NTIA, Save our Scene and all of you, our supporters.
“Almost 35000 of you signed our petition. You helped make us heard, we did it together. We love you all!”
He then emphasised that the venue is “not fully out of the woods yet” due to one adjoining application waiting on a decision.
“If we keep pushing and that additional planning is refused, I’m envisaging the greatest party Moth has ever witnessed.
“Please stay with us. We won’t rest until this is stopped. We urge you to keep fighting to protect our culture.
“Please remember, this isn’t just about Moth Club it’s about every space, in every town or city on the planet.
“I honestly had a little tear in my eye when this came in, the uncertainty has been extremely difficult to work with.
“The work that’s gone into this has been incredible. Shout out to everyone who’s done their bit so far! We’re nearly there.”
The Music Venue Trust has also issued a statement. “The decision around this planning application, which proposed residential buildings with minimal soundproofing within 10 metres of a much-loved and vital grassroots music venue, has been a long time coming. We’re pleased to see that Hackney Council has made the correct decision and refused planning permission,” they said.
“The officers involved with this case recognised in their report that the noise impact assessment commissioned by the developer was inadequate, calling it ‘fundamentally unrepresentative of the site’s acoustic environment’. They also recognised that in positioning balconies and windows overlooking the venue and its smoking area the developer was proposing low quality accommodation unsuitable for potential residents.
“The 34,000-strong petition in support of the venue and in opposition to the development shows that this refusal is in line with what people in Hackney want. Massive congratulations to Keith and the Moth Club team for their campaigning around this issue, as well as to Save Our Scene for mobilising an extraordinary letter writing campaign that made the voices of tens of thousands of people heard by the council.
“MVT now awaits the decision on the other planning application that threatens Moth Club, which is for sub-standard residential units at 6 Morning Lane, backing onto the venue and again with an inadequate consideration for noise impact. MVT hopes that Hackney Council makes the right decision and refuses this one, too.”
New government plans confirmed last year will mean that music venues that are subject to noise complaints by nearby residential developments will be offered “greater protection”. This will mean that developers would have to take responsibility for soundproofing flats and apartments near existing pubs or music venues.
It follows a series of high-profile cases in recent years, including Night & Day Cafe in Manchester, which was issued a noise abatement notice by Manchester City Council in November 2021 due to a noise complaint from a resident who had moved to Manchester during lockdown.
The nearly three-year-long row ended with the venue being told to impose restrictions that limited noise late at night to a reasonable level.
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