A bar has appealed to the Scottish Government to save live music by protecting established venues from noise complaints from new neighbours.
Craig Adams, who runs Krakatoa on Trinity Quay in Aberdeen, has written a letter to local government minister Kevin Stewart, urging him to change planning rules.
He is among campaigners who believe the “agent of change” principle should be adopted as part of the planning bill announced in the programme for government in September.
Currently, if a resident moves into a flat near a business and complains about noise, the responsibility of soundproofing lies with the business.
The agent of change principle would ensure that the onus of soundproofing would lie with whoever moved into an area last.
Mr Adams said: “The problem is, if you take Krakatoa as an example, we spent around £300,000 in soundproofing in the past 15 years.
“But even that doesn’t guarantee us any protection from noise abatement notices.
“To go any further from what we’ve installed would be entering the realms of science fiction, if we got a further notice, there is nothing further we could do to soundproof the building any more than it already is.
“And if that notice was then enforced, then that would be it for us.”
North-east MSP Lewis Macdonald said: “For a city like Aberdeen where live music is such an important part of the culture, keeping venues open is absolutely vital.
“We don’t have many venues in Aberdeen compared to larger cities, but the few we have are very good and attract quality acts from all across the UK and beyond, and they need all the protection they can get.
“There is no reason for these businesses to be placed at an unfair disadvantage, but that’s the situation with the current law.
“The venue Downstairs for example on Holburn Street had to close down because of a noise complaint.
“We need to make sure that there are no more victims of this archaic system in Aberdeen, or indeed anywhere else in Scotland.”
A government spokeswoman said: “Noise nuisance relating to music venues and other premises is managed by local authorities through licensing and environmental health regimes.
“The planning system has a role where new development is being considered near existing venues, and we are looking at whether more can be done in that regard in the context of the forthcoming planning bill.”
