Popular Manchester music venue Night & Day has been called to what the Manchester Evening News calls a “crunch licensing hearing” as it continues to tackle complaints from neighbours over noise levels.
As previously reported, Night & Day is one of the regional gig venues facing the prospect of losing its licence because of complaints made by neighbours. Though the venue, like some others, is seemingly facing the frustrating situation where the neighbours making the complaints are relatively new, meaning they chose to move in adjacent to a popular music haunt, and are now moving to have its core operations shut down.
According to the MEN, the venue stands accused of repeatedly breaching a noise abatement notice issue by Manchester City Council back in January, with noise experts seemingly having measured noise levels in nearby apartments. Although the council has options other than entirely revoking Night & Day’s licence when the matter is considered at a meeting later this summer, many fear additional licensing commitments would make it impossible for the venue to operate in its current form.
There has been plenty of support for Night & Day from both musicians and punters. Meanwhile on a national level a campaign is calling on central government to review the rules, arguing that a trend is emerging where venues launch in run down parts of towns and cities, these cultural businesses then fuel a revival of the neighbourhood, and then property prices rise and new people move in who then complain about the noise.
Though some of the people complaining have hit back, saying that they don’t want Night & Day to close at all, but that they feel the venue has a duty to work with the council on noise issues. Said complainers have also been on the receiving end of some hatemail since the noise abatement order was issued, which arguably doesn’t help the venue’s case.
But nevertheless, Night & Day’s owners remain critical of Manchester’s council, arguing that they are still appealing the abatement order, making this review meeting premature. A spokesperson for the space told the MEN: “The council have made an unprecedented move to review our licence before we have had the opportunity to appeal the Noise Abatement Notice in front of an independent judge in court”.
They went on: “We had spent a huge amount of money on legal fees to build our case and have been working tirelessly since the matter first arose to improve the situation. The support from the public has been phenomenal so far and its now crucial that this continues. We need statements of support to bring in front of the licensing committee, ideally from neighbouring residents and businesses”.