Moth Club Saved as Hackney Refuses Second Flats Plan
Moth Club in Hackney, east London, has said it is "out of the woods" and will stay open. Hackney Council has refused the second planning application for development next to the venue.
"We got some great news this morning! WE'VE DONE IT!" the owners wrote on Instagram. They called it the news "we've all been waiting for".
Two years of uncertainty
The trouble began in 2024. The owners asked local residents to oppose a development that could "pose a serious threat" to the venue. A second wave of applications for flats followed, and the council had to reject them for the club to survive.
The worry was noise. New flats nearby would raise the chance that a resident lodges a complaint. The Music Venue Trust has repeatedly said such complaints are an "existential threat" to grassroots venues.
By December 2025 the council had received more than 27,000 emails of objection. In March 2026 the owners reported a "huge win" when one of the two applications was refused, though they warned the fight was not over. Hackney Council has now refused the second application too.
Thanks and a party
The owners thanked the Mayor of Hackney, Zoë Garbett, and her team. They also thanked the Hackney Green Party and the 35,000 people who signed the petition. Hackney Nights, Save Our Scene, the NTIA and the Music Venue Trust were credited too.
A celebration is planned. The owners promised "the greatest party Moth has ever witnessed".
"Remember, this was never just about Moth Club," they said. "It's about every space like ours, in every town and city on the planet. If we can do it here, we can do it anywhere."
Moth Club has been open since 1972. It has hosted King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, IDLES, Jarvis Cocker, Lady Gaga, Caroline Polachek, Sprints, Wunderhorse and Amyl and the Sniffers. Comedy, film nights and club events run there under LNZRT's programming.
Everything But The Girl held a residency at the venue after reforming in 2023. Ben Watt said he likes the booths down the side of the room, and that people have travelled from San Francisco, Sao Paulo and Australia for their shows.
Other UK venues have faced similar fights. Manchester's Night & Day was served a Noise Abatement Notice in 2021 after a resident moved in nearby. More than 94,000 people signed a petition against it, and the venue was allowed to keep operating.
Source: NME