Neighbours inundated the church and district council with complaints saying
the noise was keeping them awake and that the barn should be soundproofed
and the music should be turned down.

It got so bad, the church was issued with noise abatement notice in November
last year and ordered to ‘keep it down’ by the council.

But it can now be revealed that church leaders – while promising to try to
keep the noise down at the St Barnabus Centre – have applied for a licence
to serve alcohol and host gigs up until midnight at another centre in its
grounds.

The church has applied to the licensing committee of the district council to
host parties at the Emmaus Centre, which is just at the back of the St
Barnabus Centre, and which is normally used for children’s parties.

Neighbours are again ‘up in arms’ at the new plans – saying that none of the
problems have yet been sorted out at the St Barnabas Centre.

Church warden Clive Weir   Photo: Stian Alexander

Richard Timmis, whose home Thorley Hall is opposite the church, said the more
than 40 functions were held at the St Barnabus Centre last year.

He said: “The use as a church is not a problem – it’s all these events
they have – we hear the music the whole time.

“They have a terrace at the back which people sit out on and we get a lot
of noise and disturbance from that.”

He said that if the church is given permission to hold bashes at the Emmaus
Centre as well as the St Barnabus Centre it will make it ’10 times worse’.

He said: “We would have people not just on the terrace but milling around
between the two buildings with no enclosure to mute it.”

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s been like
living opposite a nightclub.

“It sometimes feels like we’re actually in there, being able to hear the
words of every song, and the doors and windows shaking from the heavy bass.

“It’s been stressful for us all knowing we have weekend after weekend of
disturbance to endure and sometimes just not wanting to be at home at a time
when we should be able to relax.”

Another unnamed neighbour said: “It’s been hell living here for several
years now and the worst of it is that the Church of England actively
promotes the barns for parties and weddings.

“There have been more and more parties over the last few years and it’s
getting to the stage that we are using the Lord’s name in vain when we hear
the music or the wedding speeches.

“We don’t want to upset the church, but we don’t want drunken wedding
guests wandering around shouting outside out houses.”

Thorley Parish Council has also lodged objections against the new plans,
saying it will create too much noise and traffic.

A spokesman for East Herts District Council said it would give the church time
to sort out the “noise issues” before stepping in.

She said: “We’ve given them until the start of the wedding season to try
to resolve the noise issues.”

Church leaders said it would investigate soundproofing for both barns and that
a church committee meeting was due to address the issues in February.

Churchwarden Clive Weir said neighbours had “good grounds” for
complaint and said the church was working to resolve the issue after being
handed a noise abatement notice in November last year.

He said: “There is no argument – we completely agree with them.

“The problem has been finding a satisfactory solution to abate the noise
emitting from a grade II listed barn.

“Our acoustic consultants have advised us that we are now near a solution
that will satisfy acoustic regulations.”