Photo Credit: MOTH Club / Instagram
East London’s MOTH Club has been saved from potential closure after Hackney Council rejected the second planning application for developments next to the historic music venue. The decision follows a two-year campaign supported by more than 35,000 petition signatories.
Announcing the news on 30 October 2026, the venue confirmed it can operate normally after facing uncertainty since 2024. Two proposed residential developments near the site had sparked fears that noise complaints would threaten its live events. Hackney Council rejected the first application, for six flats and a commercial space, in March 2026. The rejection of the second proposal now concludes the immediate planning battle.
The campaign gained widespread public backing, generating around 27,000 emails to councillors and over 35,000 petition signatures. MOTH Club credited nightlife groups like Hackney Nights, Save Our Scene, the NTIA, and the Music Venue Trust, as well as Hackney Mayor Zoë Garbett. Celebrating the outcome, the venue thanked supporters and promised to host the “greatest party MOTH has ever witnessed,” emphasising that the effort was ultimately about safeguarding independent cultural spaces worldwide.
Opened in 1972 as an ex-servicemen’s club, MOTH Club was relaunched in 2015 as a venue for music and comedy. It has hosted Lady Gaga, Jarvis Cocker, Caroline Polachek, and Amyl and the Sniffers, as well as club nights and emerging talent.
