There’s a dangerous precedent being set, that is wiping some of our much-loved and long-standing music venues off the map, with almost immediate effect. In recent times establishments calling out for financial help or closing it’s doors due to being unable to make ends meet is sadly, nothing new, but what I’m talking about is darker, dangerous, and needs to be put to a stop now. We need to Save Our Venues.
I first became aware of the issue just last year, when Northern friends starting sharing a petition to save Manchester venue Night and Day. Not a venue I have ever visited myself, I was still horrified and appalled when I came to understand what had happened to the venue; A new neighbour moves in, complains about the noise, venue gets served with a Statutory Nuisance Abatement Notice. This effectively bans the venue from putting on any future gigs, as should the complainant be disturbed again the venue can be taken to court and given a fine of £20,000. In this day and age, what venue could afford that?
Save the Blind Tiger
Meanwhile, after another successful Great Escape festival, my local venue The Blind Tiger in Brighton found itself facing the same threat. A new neighbour moves above (yes, above) the venue, complains, and they were served the same notice. Sadly, the venue was already struggling financially and could not afford to either investigate increasing soundproofing or pay the fine, and therefore had to shut doors with immediate effect. Thus ending it’s 100 year history of hosting music and putting all its staff out of a job.
So soon after, Bristol’s The Fleece kicked off a pre-emptive strike after it was proposed the buildings next to it should be turned into flats. It doesn’t take any genius to work out that the venue would be immediately be in trouble once actually tenants moved in just 20 metres away from the stage. A venue with a 32 year history that has seen the likes of Muse, Coldplay and Radiohead play to audiences of just a few hundred people, that has existed this long without any noise complaints, yet has absolutely no protection should anyone move into housing nearby and is somehow surprised by the noise.
Then, just this past week The Boileroom in Guildford announce it too had been served with the same notice, following a complaint by two people that had moved into a house opposite the venue.
All situations are distressingly the same. These are single complaints from one or two people living in the same accommodation. They are all renters, they haven’t bought the properties so are not permanent residents. Yet these people have the power to shut down venues?
The outcries are all the same, wondering why these folk just don’t move, or how on earth did they not realise that moving near a music venue would be noisy. But it’s pointless. It’s pointless being angry at these idiots who have just taken advantage of a piece of legislation that is readily available to them.
The problem is the Noise Abatement Legislation
It’s the Noise Abatement legislation itself that needs to change. That fact that one complaint can shut a venue down, regardless of how long it has been there, how effectively and hard it has worked with the community, or how many jobs are put at risk is just a joke. We are living in a housing squeeze, both renting and buying is become difficult and expensive, folk who wouldn’t chose to live in certain areas will find themselves with little choice, and housing developers will build wherever they can. I fear this is only the beginning.
Individual petitions to save each venue are going strong, but we should really be focussing on changing the legislation that allows this to happen. The Music Venue Trust has launched a petition calling for an urgent review to ensure a proper balance between the rights of a person living nearby, and the rights of the venue and community that use it. I urge you to sign it before more of our favourite venues come under threat.
You can sign the petition here
For more information about The Music Venue Trust click the link and you can sign the petitions to save: Night and Day, Blind Tiger, The Fleece and The Boileroom
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