**MP Calls for Legal Safeguards to Protect UK Live Music Venues from Noise Complaints Linked to New Developments**
A senior Conservative MP has called on the Government to introduce greater legal protections for live music venues, warning that an increasing number are under threat because of noise complaints triggered by nearby new housing developments. Dame Caroline Dinenage, Chair of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, addressed fellow MPs, urging that fresh legislation is needed to ensure venues are not put at risk by newcomers’ objections.
Dame Caroline, representing Gosport, pushed for changes to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill. She stressed that planning authorities should be allowed, or even required, to consider the existence of established music venues when assessing proposals for new developments—especially homes or residential buildings. She highlighted the ongoing crisis facing the live music sector, noting the importance of preserving venues that are the bedrock of Britain’s thriving creative industries and key components in local communities.
In her remarks in the House of Commons, Dame Caroline rejected the notion of a simple divide between developers and venues. “This isn’t about pitching venues against developers,” she stated. “It’s about ensuring the right balance between delivering much-needed new housing and retaining the character and cultural life that make our towns and cities vibrant.”
The decline of high streets, she argued, has made it even more vital to protect spaces that play a central role in local identity and the creative economy. “Venues are where memories are made, cultures are celebrated, and creative careers begin,” Dame Caroline told MPs. She went on to make the case for giving local councils and ministers the authority to approve or refuse projects, and to be able to impose planning conditions that would support the harmonious coexistence of new developments and longstanding venues. This would include measures to mitigate the impact of noise on new residents, she said.
Current planning guidance—the National Planning Policy Framework—already asks decision-makers to consider the impact on existing businesses, with a principle that long-standing venues should not face ‘unreasonable restrictions’ because of new developments. However, campaigners have highlighted that the practical application of these policies is often inconsistent and subject to uncertainty.
Recent statistics underscore the growing scale of the challenge. According to the Music Venue Trust’s latest annual report, 2023 saw over a fifth of grassroots music venues close due to ‘operational issues’, including the fallout from neighbour disputes over noise. Notably, the Trust’s findings indicate that planning and regulatory pressures are exerting increasing influence on venue survival, sometimes eclipsing the more established challenge of financial viability.
Dame Caroline advocated for the firm introduction of the so-called ‘agent of change’ principle into law, which would require that anyone introducing a new development—such as housing—next to an existing venue must be responsible for soundproofing or other noise mitigation, rather than imposing new restrictions on the venue itself. “Effective and consistent use of agent of change will streamline the planning process, safeguarding venues and making things clearer for developers and residents alike,” she explained.
She also claimed such measures would spare local authorities, developers, and residents from expensive and drawn-out legal disputes, which often arise from noise complaints made after people move in next door to music venues. She summarised: “Having the needs of established venues recognised from the outset will reduce the risk of last-minute objections and protracted court battles.”
The Commons select committee, which Dame Caroline chairs, had previously recommended that the agent of change principle be enshrined in law, but thus far the Government has not committed to legislation. As Britain’s music venues continue to face multiple pressures—from planning disputes to licensing issues—campaigners and industry advocates hope these parliamentary calls will spark renewed action to protect the foundations of the UK’s world-leading creative industries.
The debate around planning, housing, and cultural preservation is set to continue, with stakeholders urging policymakers not to sacrifice the vitality of Britain’s live music scene in the rush to build new homes—a challenge that epitomises the evolving culture-versus-development struggle in many towns and cities across the country.