Night and Day noise row set to rumble on into next year

A noise row over a Manchester music venue is set to continue into next year if an agreement over sound levels is not reached by the end of December. More noise testing will now take place at Night & Day Café in the Northern Quarter.

It comes after Manchester council served a legal notice on the premises in November 2021 following a complaint from residents living in a neighbouring flat who have since moved out. The business appealed the noise abatement notice launching a high-profile campaign claiming that its survival is at stake.

Starting late last year, several court hearings have taken place, but the case has been repeatedly adjourned. Last-minute talks took place at the town hall earlier this month when the case was supposed to return to Manchester Magistrates Court for a three-day hearing, but no agreement was reached.

A short court hearing took place this morning (July 21) where it was agreed that more testing of sound levels would take place over the summer. If an agrement is not reached after that, the case will be back in court next year.

A spokesperson for Night and Day said: “Night and Day and its legal team have had a number of meetings in recent weeks outside the courtroom with Manchester City Council (MCC). We went into these meetings with a positive and constructive manner, with the hope of moving things forward.

“Unfortunately, the council have now asked for yet another round of acoustic testing. It feels like we’re going backwards over old ground.

“We don’t understand why testing didn’t happen during the planning stage – twenty years ago before anyone moved into the apartments – and why there was no discussion with MMC before the abatement notice was served on us in 2021.”

A Manchester council spokesperson said: “The council remains entirely committed to reaching an agreement which recognises the needs of residents, allows us to meet our legal obligations, as well as allowing the venue to remain commercially viable.

“Given the trial is still live it would not be appropriate to go into further detail about the discussions which have taken place.

“From the outset the council has been clear that Manchester’s music venues are an important part of the fabric of the city, playing a vital role in the night-time economy and in creating opportunities for new artists.

“Recently the council announced a major and independent review into Manchester’s grassroots music venues and how the council and its partners can better support and champion them, while being considerate of residents and businesses and the council’s legal responsibilities.”

Further joint sound testing at the venue is set to take place by no later than September 3. If an agreement is not reached after that, another hearing will take place next year with all relevant court documents due by December 29.