Famous London music venue saved from closure threat as flats plan thrown out

A famous east London music venue where Lady Gaga and Dave Grohl have performed has been “saved” from closure after plans for a nearby development were rejected.

Hackney’s iconic Moth Club is celebrating its second victory of the year after a planning application for nearby flats was turned down, dispelling fears for the venue’s survival.

After Hackney Council in March refused a planning bid for six private apartments on Morning Lane, on Thursday officers blocked the same developer’s proposal to build 7 flats and a commercial unit directly adjacent to the music and comedy club.

Campaigners warned this could “jeopardise the venue’s future, dealing yet another blow to London’s dwindling independent venue scene”.

General Manager Edie Kench-Andrews said the club faced being “attacked on all sides” if the council approved flats nearby.

The Moth Club in Hackney

Josef Steen / LDRS

A rise in noise complaints from future neighbours, she told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), could result in noise abatement notices being issued and lead to more restrictions on the venue.

A petition in support of Moth Club against the developments garnered over 36,000 signatures. It stated: “Complaints lead to conditions on the licence, and conditions on the licence are how grassroots venues close.”

Now, after the council refused the planning bid on Thursday (October 29), Moth Club welcomed “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”.

Designs for the rejected development on Morning Lane, Hackney

Stephen Davy Peter Smith Architects

“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,” Miller and Kench-Andrews said in their statement to the LDRS.

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”.

The Moth Club stage

Luke Dyson

‘Greatest party ever’ on the horizon

Moth 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.

Following 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”.