“A huge win”: London’s Moth Club wins battle over local planning application
London‘s Moth Club has celebrated a major achievement after the planning application for the building next to the venue was refused.
The Hackney venue is one of the capital city’s best-loved independent venues, and often hosts artists for new musicians, providing a place for experimentation and community.
However, several planning applications have threatened the future of the venue, which rebranded from an ex-servicemen’s club opened in 1972 to a music venue in 2015.
In particular, two specific planning permissions threatened to close Moth Club’s doors. The Music Venue Trust rallied behind the venue, sharing at the time, “If Hackney side-steps national policy here, it sets a catastrophic precedent: any grassroots venue in the UK could be placed in the same position by developers who choose not to mitigate noise.”
It went on, “This isn’t just a MOTH Club issue. It’s a test of whether planning protections for cultural spaces have any real weight.”
The venue rallied support via way of a petition, which had over 30,000 signatures. Public support has also come from rock titans Amyl and the Sniffers and local politician, Jeremy Corbyn.
One of the two planning applications went to a hearing, and thankfully, Moth Club emerged successful.
The venue shared the good news on social media: “Thanks to everyone who signed, shared, and stood with MOTH Club, the planning application for the building directly next to us has been refused!”
They added gratefully, “This is a huge win. We couldn’t have done it without your support.”
However, the beloved venue warned fans that the fight isn’t over yet: “There’s still another planning application in progress,” the statement shared, “Which could still put MOTH’s future at risk. We need to keep spreading the word and make sure our venue continues to be a home for live music, comedy, and grassroots culture.”
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