Thousands sign petition opposing development next to beloved London venue
Soeren Holm, Vilhelm Strange and Villads Tyrrestrup of Liss perform at Moth Club in 2016. (Venla Shalin/Redferns)
Soeren Holm, Vilhelm Strange and Villads Tyrrestrup of Liss perform at Moth Club in 2016. (Venla Shalin/Redferns)
A beloved venue in east London has garnered almost 20,000 signatures in response to a petition opposing plans to build new flats close to the venue.
MOTH Club – a former servicemen’s members club in Hackney, which opened in 1972 – continues to serve as a hub for live music, film nights, comedy and club events, but it’s future has been placed under under threat due to residential planning applications nearby.
The club was, and continues to be, a key supporter of emerging artists, with talents such as Lady Gaga, King Gizzard and Jarvis Cocker having performed on its stage prior to their stardom.
However, two separate planning applications for flats on Morning Road, next to MOTH Club, have been submitted to Hackney Council, threatening to put the venue at “serious risk”.
The venue claims that the proposal were “deliberately split into two applications to avoid the obligation to include social housing”. Should the applications be approved the venue has said it would lead to “conflicts, noise complaints, and a serious threat to the venue’s ability to operate”.
At the time of writing, a petition to oppose the planning applications, launched by the club, has received more than 19,000 signatures.
Taking to Instagram on Monday (7 July), the club posted an update, thanking followers for the masses of support.
The announcement added: “But we’re still waiting. Despite the overwhelming public response, Hackney Council has yet to respond to our concerns raised about the two separate planning proposals threatening MOTH Club’s future.”
MOTH Club further called for people to write to Hackney Council to express individual concern about the proposals in their current form.
“I urge the Council to reject these proposals in their current form or require significant changes to ensure the MOTH Club can continue to thrive. This includes measures to prevent future noise complaints and a commitment to contributing meaningfully to the local community, including provisions for social housing,” the drafted letter to send to the council reads.
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