The iconic Hackney venue MOTH Club has been granted a reprieve after a nearby development proposal was refused by Hackney Council – allowing its glittery gold stage to live another day.
Plans submitted in 2024 proposed a six-flat residential building with commercial space on the ground floor next to the venue.
Campaigners like Save Our Scene warned the development could threaten MOTH Club’s future, with concerns that balconies overlooking the stage wall and smoking area would likely lead to noise complaints.
In the refusal report, Hackney Council recognised the proximity to MOTH Club and the absence of a representative Noise Impact Assessment, a document which determines how existing noise will affect the new development.
The council states that the proposal ‘fails to demonstrate that the new residential use would not result in unreasonable restrictions being placed on the MOTH Club’.
The decision reflects wider concerns across the live music sector, as according to Music Venue Trust’s 2025 annual report, 6% of grassroot music venue closures in the UK are due to noise abatement orders.
MOTH Club remains one of East London’s best-loved grassroots venues, known as a vital community hub champions emerging artists, comedy nights, club events and the occasional karaoke night.
Support for the venue’s reprieve has extended beyond local campaigners, with artists including CMAT joining fans in celebrating the decision in the venue’s Instagram comments.
Lloyd Bent, national coordinator for Music Venue Trust (MVT) in England, said: “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.”
However, the battle against local planning applications is far from over.
In MOTH Club’s positive Instagram post sharing the update and thanking those who have supported the venue, they emphasise the ongoing threats in light of a second planning application currently under consideration.
It reads: “We need to keep spreading the word and make sure our venue continues to be a home for live music, comedy and grassroots culture.”
The new proposal for a separate block of flats on Morning Lane would pose the same risks to this renowned venue’s future.
As the community awaits Hackney Council’s decision, Bent said: “MVT hopes that Hackney Council makes the right decision and refuses this one, too.”
Featured image credit: Rachael Cooper
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