Moth Club wins fight for survival as plan for flats next door is rejected

Hackney's celebrated Moth Club has secured a second planning victory this year after councillors blocked proposals for flats next door that campaigners feared could threaten the venue's future.Hackney Council has rejected plans for seven apartments and a commercial unit alongside the acclaimed music and comedy venue on Morning Lane.The decision comes months after planners turned down a separate application for six flats near the club.Supporters had argued that allowing more homes beside the venue risked triggering future noise complaints that could lead to restrictions on live events.More than 36,000 people signed a petition backing the venue, with high-profile support from figures across the music industry.Now that the council has refused the planning bid, Moth Club has welcomed the decision as “the news we had all been waiting for”. On behalf of the club, founder Keith Miller thanked their “amazing” supporters, the council and the planning department for its “due diligence”.The venue opened as an ex-servicemen's club in 1972, relaunching as a music and comedy club in 2015.LDRSHe added: “Of course, a massive thank you to everyone who crusades to support nightlife every single day. We couldn’t have done it without Hackney Nights, Save Our Scene, the NTIA, and the Music Venue Trust for everything they’ve done for us.”Town hall planners refused permission on four grounds: noise impact, affordable housing provision, the effect on parking and traffic, and environmental sustainability. The application, from Ganatra, had “failed to demonstrate that the proposed development would not give rise to undue noise and disturbance to future occupiers”.The bid also made no provision for affordable housing, leading town hall planners to conclude the development would “fail to adequately contribute towards the provision of mixed and balanced communities and housing needs in the local area”.Read More‘Greatest party ever’ on the horizonMoth Club first opened in 1972 as an ex-servicemen’s club, dubbed a “shell hole”, for war veterans under the Memorable Order of Tin Hats. In 2015, it was taken over by local events agency LNZRT and revamped into a music and comedy space, distinguished by the stage’s gold ribbon curtains and shimmering ceiling.Though it has achieved international recognition as an independent music venue, welcoming acts such as Lady Gaga, Dave Grohl and Rick Astley, Moth Club has continued to see servicemen come through its doors, according to the general manager. Meanwhile, the club’s trades hall furnishings remain mostly intact.Designs for the rejected developmentLDRSFollowing the council’s decision, the club’s organisers thanked the Mayor of Hackney, Zoë Garbett, and her cabinet colleagues for “backing grassroots music in Hackney”. Moth Club also praised Cllr Laura-Louise Fairley and the Hackney Green Party for “standing with us and pushing on forward at a pivotal stage”. In December 2025, the council received over 27,000 emails from supporters pleading to protect the venue.Following the news, Miller and Kench-Andrews said the club would honour an earlier promise to throw “the greatest party Moth has ever witnessed”.“We meant it. Watch this space,” they said.