House owners of the MOTH Membership in London have reached out to native residents, asking them to assist opposition to a improvement that might “pose a severe menace” to the venue.
Primarily based in Hackney, the venue has been in existence because the early ‘70s, and has performed host to numerous reside gigs, in addition to comedy reveals, movie occasions and membership nights.
Now, house owners of the area have taken to social media, calling on native residents and followers to assist safe the way forward for the venue by talking out in opposition to an upcoming improvement.
In accordance with the publish, a brand new planning utility has been put ahead, which might imply that a number of flats could be constructed immediately reverse the venue. This is able to put the reside music area in jeopardy because it may impression the rules across the noise output.
“To any Hackney based mostly MOTH Membership lovers on the market, we’re calling to your assist to object to a latest planning utility for brand spanking new flats being constructed reverse the venue on Morning Lane,” the publish started.
“In addition to internet hosting reside reveals, comedy, movie and membership nights MOTH has been in existence since 1972 as an ex-serviceperson membership and remains to be utilized by MOTH members commonly with month-to-month conferences held of their non-public assembly room within the higher components of the premises. Any new builds will pose a severe menace to the way forward for our venue and the gold ceiling.”
Within the replace, those that wish to assist shield the constructing are inspired to succeed in out to the borough’s planning division by way of e-mail this week, and use the reference quantity 2024/1260.
Upon the venue’s name for assist, a spokesperson for the Music Venue Belief shared an announcement with NME concerning the scenario, and defined how they want to assist shield the Hackney reside music area.
“MOTH Membership got here straight into Music Venue Belief’s Emergency Response Service upon receiving discover of the planning utility,” they stated. “We’ve already mobilised our Planning and Acoustic gurus who’ve gone over the appliance particulars with a high quality tooth comb; these are unbiased trade specialists who generously give their time at no cost to Music Venue Alliance member venues in disaster. Utilizing their technical experience we are going to place an objection and we are going to name for the appliance proposal to be rejected on the first alternative.”
The assertion continued: “The builders have positioned an utility which neglects to even take into account the noise impression of the MOTH Membership, with a noise report which doesn’t point out or survey the GMV. So we shall be opposing its suitability within the strongest attainable phrases, it’s plainly towards the Agent of Change planning precept and would put the Moth Membership vulnerable to future noise complaints and menace of closure.
“We’re actually happy to see the enormity of the general public response, and the way many individuals agree with us that the Moth Membership have to be protected.”
MOTH Membership is simply one of many numerous grassroots music areas throughout the UK which have come beneath menace in recent times, and the issues the house owners lay out replicate these beforehand confronted by Manchester’s Evening & Day venue.
The legendary music spot in Manchester – which was first saved after a hard-fought battle towards a noise grievance again in 2014 – took to social media in 2021 to rally assist but once more. This got here after it acquired a discover from the council, which reportedly claimed that it was “a noise nuisance” to a resident that had moved into a close-by property through the lockdown.
The venue stated that they have been pleading with Manchester Metropolis Council Licensing to “take away our Noise Abatement Discover and for the Council to handle the true subject right here which is that housing with ill-considered planning and development has been authorized and constructed subsequent to a pre-existing reside music enterprise”.
Finally, over 94,000 individuals signed a petition to take away the Noise Abatement Discover (NAN) – together with Johnny Marr, New Order, Courteeners, Frank Turner, Mogwai and extra – and it was dominated earlier this 12 months that the venue can proceed to function.
Again in 2021, the Music Venue Belief instructed NME that this had develop into considerably of a pattern, and that there had been greater than 40 noise complaints towards UK grassroots music venues since reopening in July of that 12 months.
One different venue that confronted closure attributable to a resident’s noise grievance was the beloved Gasoline Rock Membership in Cardiff.
The three aforementioned reside music areas are only a few of the numerous grassroots venues which have come beneath menace, with the MVT warning that gig areas within the UK are “going over a cliff” with out pressing authorities motion.
In the direction of the tip of final 12 months, there was a stark warning that the UK was set to lose 10 per cent of its grassroots music venues, and MVT ended the 12 months by telling NME how 2023 was the “worst 12 months for venue closures” whereas “nobody within the music trade appears to care”.
The issue continues to develop in 2024, and in January a brand new report was printed exhibiting the “catastrophe” that struck the UK’s grassroots music venues in 2023. Among the many key findings was that 125 UK venues deserted reside music and that over half of them had shut completely – together with the legendary Moles in Tub.
The struggles confronted by each musicians and venue house owners have been additional highlighted by Featured Artists Coalition’s CEO David Martin in February, when he spoke about how the speedy decline of grassroots venues is taking a toll on the UK expertise.
