The Music Venue Trust launched a national campaign, and HM Government petition this week, calling on the Secretary of State for the Environment to carry out an urgent review of Noise Abatement legislation to ensure that the proper balance is being struck between the individual rights of owners/occupiers and the right of communities to be able to enjoy live music.
Recent press stories have highlighted the huge threat posed to live music by developers, with town centre venues facing noise abatement notices from brand new flats and new owners/occupiers. Many of these are historic sites; the Night and Day Cafe in Manchester(neighbours complaints are threatening the long standing northern venue), The Fleece in Bristol(which is faced with closure if new flats near the venue are approved) , places where music has been enjoyed for many years without problems, and are active hubs for musicians, promoters and fans alike… In Cardiff the Coal Exchange and The Point faced various notices of the same kind from residents who lived near these venues over the years. Eventually due to economics and the pressure that these campaigns brought to bear these venues no longer exist and Cardiff as a music city is worse off because of this. Whilst the venues themselves are attempting to raise petitions too try and fight these notices The Music Venue Trust is going one step further by presenting a petition too the Government.
The Music Venue trust headed by Mark Davyd believes that in this age of austerity and difficult times for venues the relationship between venues and residents should be one based on common sense, it should be a two way street. Of course venues should be good neighbors engaging with local communities and residents whilst and addressing concerns around noise and anti-social behaviour. But he “believes that being a good neighbour is a reciprocal process, and that people who choose to live near to community spaces are accepting the responsibility to behave as a good neighbour to their adjoining music venue, church or community space; anywhere it is inevitable and should be acceptable that noise will exist.” A press release continues:
“Being a good neighbour within a community is fundamentally important and any neighbour who abuses his fellow neighbours in any way should suffer the appropriate legal consequences. However, we believe that the current provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 that relate to Noise and the serving of Noise Abatement notices have unintentionally provided rights to new tenants or developers to limit and control noise that are outside the intent of the common sense approach, and that these rights are being misused to attempt to prevent local communities from being able to enjoy the normal, established and historic use of these spaces.”
The Music Venue Trust’s CEO Mark Davyd told us directly “It’s genuinely time for music lovers to say enough is enough across the UK. Everybody has the right to enjoy their home in peace and without nuisance, but people are choosing to move into areas where they know there is noise and then object to it. It’s a bit like moving to a fishing village and complaining about the funny smell.”
If you want to support this cause sign up to the petition here:
“We call upon the Secretary of State for the Environment to act in partnership with the Department for Culture Media and Sport and the Department for Communities and Local Government to urgently review all relevant legislation and amend it so that the rights of existing venues and other “noisy” spaces are suitably recognised within the Acts in a manner that reflects the needs and wishes of local communities.”
SIGN the petition: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/65582
TELL your friends, your favourite bands, your local musicians that you want them to publicly support this campaign.
The Music Venue Trust is also running a campaign to find and work with Venue Champions to protect the future of music venues across the country by changing government and local authority perceptions around music venues.
