Music venues that are subject to noise complaints by nearby residential developments will be offered “greater protection” under new government plans.
The measures, which are set to be introduced under the national licensing policy framework, would mean developers taking responsibility for soundproofing flats and apartments near existing pubs or music venues.
The changes are designed to stop the kinds of rows that have seen pubs and gig venues dogged by complaints from people who live in homes built within earshot.
Night & Day cafe in Manchester was issued a noise abatement notice by Manchester city council in November 2021 due to complaints from neighbours about loud music at night.
The nearly three-year-long row concluded with the venue being told to impose restrictions that limited noise late at night to a reasonable level.
The case has led to a growing concern among venues on new developments being built locally, opening up the opportunity for noise complaints from future tenants. The Music Venue Trust said earlier this year that one grassroots music venue closed every two weeks in 2024.
Plans for a new office block next to the Prince Albert pub in Brighton were approved on appeal in January, after being refused in November 2023.
A petition against the scheme garnered more than 22,000 signatures, claiming the pub was at threat of permanent closure, with DJ Fatboy Slim performing at the venue in 2023 to highlight its cultural importance.
George Taylor, a co-landlord of the Prince Albert, said that he saw restrictions imposed on the new offices as a “win”, including a requirement for them to close at 8pm when music typically starts at the venue next door.
He said he wanted to see more independent monitors in place to support venues in the UK, including within the new soundproofing measures being introduced.
Taylor said: “With the soundproofing, in theory it sounds great but to manage and look after it, it’s supposed to be an independent person. If it’s the company that built the building that hires the person to do it, they could be biased as they are on their payroll.”
He added: “Our point is that once the building goes up and if they haven’t done the soundproofing, the council won’t make them rip the walls down and put it in.”
London-based gig venue Moth Club has also seen support from a 20,000-strong petition against two separate planning applications for new blocks of flats beside it.
The venue said the blocks, which are due to be considered by Hackney council in the coming months, would have “devastating consequences” for the future of the club.
The new protection will be ushered in under the “agent of change principle”, with the Department for Business and Trade saying it will consider further options to support established venues under the new framework.
Other measures in the overhaul include simplifying the process of opening and operating hospitality venues, scrapping local rules that delay small businesses from opening.
The business and trade secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said: “Red tape has stood in the way of people’s business ideas for too long. Today we’re slashing those barriers to giving small business owners the freedom to flourish.”
New “hospitality zones” are also envisioned, with more leniency on permissions for street parties and extended opening hours to usher people back on to high streets.
Speaking on the new changes, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said pubs and bars were “at the heart of British life”.
Reeves said: “For too long, they’ve been stifled by clunky, outdated rules. We’re binning them – to protect pavement pints, alfresco dining and street parties – not just for the summer, but all year round.”