Formal bid for temporary cinema at Berwick Barracks during The Maltings works

Northumberland County Council and the Maltings (Berwick) Trust are working together to deliver a new venue for Berwick on the current Maltings Eastern Lane site.

While works are carried out on the new venue between 2023 and 2025, Studio GUILD Architects has been commissioned by the organisations to develop the project at Berwick Barracks to accommodate audiences in the meantime.

This includes the temporary conversion of the ‘Mobilisation Store’ to provide a 96-seat cinema facility. The plan is for it to then be changed into an archive facility when the new Maltings is completed.

The documents submitted by Studio GUILD Architects include a heritage statement and a design and access statement, which says that if the application gets the green light it will work with English Heritage on the conversion as the charity is responsible for the Berwick Barracks complex of buildings.

The statements also include the following: ‘To ensure the building can be used as an all-year round venue as a temporary cinema and longer-term use for archive storage, our proposal will improve the overall energy efficiency of the existing buildings by adopting a ‘fabric first’ approach.

‘This involves maximising the performance of the existing building envelope before considering the use of mechanical and electrical building services, thereby reducing the capital and operational costs and reducing carbon emissions.

‘The new space will provide 96 fixed seats and space for two wheelchair users. The raked visitor seating will be formed from a timber structure and over-boarded to allow this to be removed.

‘The specified cinema seating will be re-used in the new Maltings building when this facility is no longer required.

‘To minimise builders work to the building and wider site, a new temporary toilet block will be introduced immediately adjacent to the main entrance.

‘A fixed ticket counter and information desk will be provided within the entrance foyer.

‘It is envisaged the Mob Store Cinema will generally be open six days a week, Tuesday to Sunday. Monday opening will be occasional only.’