The much-cherished MOTH Club at the heart of Hackney Central is threatened with closure. The risk comes from two planning applications that have been submitted to Hackney Council. The reason for the split in applications is a truly heinous act–the separation means that social housing (lower-cost rented housing) is no longer required for the applications. If passed, the application would see a new set of luxury flats being built on Morning Lane, which sits as a neighbour to the venue, and at the heart of the Hackney community.
Whilst the threat may not appear to be affecting the building itself, it is the future issues of building housing next to the venue that set a worrisome precedent. The planning application is looking to include balconies that will directly overlook the venue’s smoking area. With noise complaints already an obvious outcome of building flats next to the club, the addition of balconies offers a direct trigger for future neighbours to complain—a situation which could be avoided by not building flats next to the venue in the first place.
In a time of housing crisis where 8.4 million people are living in unaffordable and insecure situations, it would seem that more housing should be a priority. In this case, there is no community development involving council or affordable housing. Rather, it is an application that would see another private developer create modern housing not only to gentrify the area—more than it already has been in recent years—but also to destroy one of the cultural capitals of Hackney’s nightlife and music scene.
The club itself has hosted some of the biggest names in the business, from Jarvis Cocker to IDLES, and hosts nights which exemplify the spirit of Hackney, from the Deptford Northern Soul Nights to the comedy nights. The club has been an established building since 1972 and holds a special place in the community—one which feels incomplete without seeing a queue outside on a Friday night.
At a time when independent music venues are under such threat, seeing a staple of the London music scene threatened not by lack of profits but by unnecessary luxury development calls into question our commitment to protecting cultural spaces in our communities.
You can sign the petition opposing the planning application here.
Words By Jack Dennison-Thompson
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