Pubs and venues to be protected from noise complaints

Pubs and music venues will be given protection from noise complaints under planned changes to licensing rules.

Under the reforms, developers seeking to build near venues would be told to soundproof buildings, while permissions would be fast-tracked for new businesses or expanded outdoor areas in designated locations.

The government hopes the changes will also make it easier to open new bars in disused shops, as well as promote outdoor drinking, al fresco dining and live performances.

While the government said the changes would bring “vibrancy” to struggling town centres, the Conservatives said Labour’s tax policy was responsible for “crippling the hospitality industry” in the first place.

It comes after several well-loved pubs and music venue were left facing possible closure over noise complaints, leading to campaigns in some cities.

Last December, Moth Club, an independent music and comedy venue in east London, launched a petition challenging plans to build a new block of flats next door, over fears it could be shut down.

“Without being able to make noise, we can’t make money,” its manager told the BBC at the time.

In Manchester, venue Night and Day Cafe was subject to a three-year legal battle with the council over noise complaints lodged by a neighbour in 2021.

It was eventually permitted to continue operating as a nightclub with noise-limiting restrictions in place.

The government also hopes a planned reform of nationwide licensing regulations will help to reverse the decline in the pub industry by making it easier to open new ones.

The British Beer and Pub Association says the number of pubs in the UK has steadily decreased every year since 2000, and estimated that 378 pubs would close in 2025 across England, Wales and Scotland, amounting to more than 5,600 direct job losses.

On Tuesday, pub chain Brewdog was the latest to announce cuts, with 10 bars across the UK closing due to “rising costs, increased regulation, and economic pressures”.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said “pubs and bars are at the heart of British life” as the government launched a consultation on the changes.

She added: “For too long, they’ve been stifled by clunky, outdated rules. We’re binning them, to protect pavement pints, al fresco dining and street parties – not just for the summer, but all year round.”

Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, said: “Though any cutting of red tape for hospitality businesses is welcome, this is pure hypocrisy and inconsistency from Labour.”

He accused Labour of “crippling the hospitality industry by doubling business rates, imposing a Jobs Tax and a full-on strangulation of employment red tape”.