Residents living near Mob Store in Berwick explain sound test issue as temporary cinema works begin

Northumberland County Council approved plans earlier this year and work has now started on site to create the facility.

It would just be used while the multi-million-pound redevelopment of The Maltings on Eastern Lane takes place. It is being designed in such a way that the Mob Store can then be adapted into an archive facility.

However, the group of residents said during the meeting and stressed afterwards that the cinema has to pass a strict sound test before it can open.

The project – which is estimated to take around six months – includes upgrading the exterior and soundproofing to form a dedicated cinema space, with raked seating for almost 100 people.

A statement issued to the Gazette from the Ravensdowne residents includes the following: “When planning permission was granted for a temporary cinema at the Mob Store, there were strict conditions applied by Northumberland County Council – rightly so on such a sensitive site in a historic Conservation Area.

“One of the conditions was designed to limit the impact on residents of sound leakage from the cinema operation and the overall level of operational sound and impact on staff.

“A final sound test will need to be passed at the cinema and on external air conditioning units before the cinema can open. Of course, all the construction work will need to have been completed before these tests can take place, something the Maltings was well aware of early in the process.

“It has been suggested on social media that the only reason sound tests are being carried out at all is due to pressure applied by the residents group. This is completely untrue. We are being vilified once again on social media, but all we are doing is pointing out the reality and limitations of this site in the conservation area versus alternatives.

“We did invite county councillors and Berwick Town Council to meet with us on site and at our homes to fully understand concerns, but they declined.

“The levels that need to be met were proposed to councillors by environmental protection at the planning meeting and are based on established industry norms – in fact, they are there to protect employees working inside as much as residents outside.

“Residents are also planning to do their own acoustic tests alongside the Maltings.

“For a purpose-built cinema this condition would not pose a problem, but there are limits to how much soundproofing can be done to an old building like the Mob Store.

“It was quite clear from submissions that the Maltings and council officers were concerned about this throughout and it was suggested to the Maltings that they should consider on-going, electronic sound limiting. This, of course, would impact on the customer experience.

“Whilst we have accepted the planning decision, it’s hardly surprising that we will continue to monitor how things progress. We are still highly dubious it can meet the planning condition, as are our acoustic experts.”

The Mob Store dates from the early 20th Century and was used to store military equipment.