Council set to spend £30,000 to address complaints about acoustics at Lindisfarne Centre in Alnwick

Councillors are being asked to approve £30,000 to install new acoustic panels in the main hall at the Lindisfarne Centre.

The centre is used by a variety of organisations including Alnwick Town Council, Northumberland Skills, Northumberland Communities Together, the Alnwick Food Bank and Citizens Advice. It is also home to a community café.

A report to Northumberland County Council’s cabinet states: “Since the refurbishment of the centre was completed in March 2023, the integrated services team and councillors have received multiple complaints from building-users regarding the acoustics in the main hall during various meetings and activities taken place there.

“Participants currently find it very difficult to hear in meetings with groups of people due to sound reverberation. Presentations are difficult for presenters and the audience for the same reason, and this has been experienced by council departments whilst using the space too.”

The report adds: “The original remit given to the designers for the recent refurbishment the centre was to cater for sports activities, however the multi-functional space that the hall has become is affected acoustically by the hard surfaces throughout the space and the partially barrelled ceiling (which was at the historical former stage end of the space and helped project sound to the audience).

"Surveys of the hall have taken place and an informed acoustic solution has been designed incorporating wall and ceiling acoustic measures to counter the noise problems in the space. As this is a multi-functional space and no soft furnishings or flooring can be introduced, these are the two areas which can be focussed on for improvements to be made.”

If approved, the programming of works will be discussed with the building management team to minimise end-user disruption.

The centre, situated in the old Lindisfarne Middle School, aims to provide a one stop shop where residents can access a range of support and education services.

Northumberland County Council invested £2m in refurbishing the building with work including roof repairs, an electrical and heating upgrade, window replacement and internal remodelling.