MOTH Club wins first battle to stay open after development application denied

MOTH Club has won the first battle to secure its future, after a planning application for a development directly next door to the grassroots music venue was denied by Hackney Council. 

Two planning applications were made for developments close to MOTH's 112-year-old home on Valette Street, Hackney, in 2024. Soon after, the music venue, which first opened in 1972, launched a campaign to prevent its closure, which resulted in 27,000 emails being sent to local councillors calling for its preservation. 

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One of the proposals, a development consisting of six flats and ground-floor commercial space directly next to MOTH Club, has now been rejected by local councillors, although another proposal is still awaiting approval.

In a statement shared via Instagram yesterday (March 26), the team behind the venue wrote: "Thanks to everyone who signed, shared and stood with MOTH Club, the planning application for the building directly next to us has been refused! This is a huge win. We couldn’t have done it without your support.”

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"That said, the fight is not over," it continues. "There’s still another planning application in progress, 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."

You can read MOTH Club's full statement below. 

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on X