Tim Street

Corsica Studios is an award-winning, independent grassroots music venue that has been based in the Elephant & Castle since 2002. It provides a space and platform for underground music events, exhibitions, performances and other creative projects. Over this time, it has become a much-loved music venue and hosted many well-known UK and international artists. However, this venue is more than just a business: it is an extremely personal creative venture that over the last twenty years has required a huge amount of time, money, energy and personal sacrifice.

Since our inception we have been committed to the idea that art and music is a vital part of society, and we are proud to have become a key part of London’s musical infrastructure. It is in this context that a CPO notice received in early 2023 to forcibly relocate Corsica came as a huge concern. We had been aware of the development plans for the regeneration of the E+C for several years however it appeared that our presence and operations had been totally overlooked in the planning applications and the apparent failure to recognise our existence and demonstrate how a residential development could co-exist alongside a well-established venue seemed to be a huge oversight. As a small organisation we felt extremely vulnerable to decisions that were being made and we genuinely felt that our business and the venue were under threat. The David and Goliath imposition, despite being clearly antagonistic to the Agent of Change principle, was very worrying and extremely stressful.

As part of the negotiations involved in the CPO process, we were able to assemble a team of expert advisers and we were introduced to Suono by our planning solicitor, Tim Taylor of Khift (to whom I am equally thankful). From the first moment we met Tim Street we were reassured by his professionalism, capability and experience and we immediately felt that we now had the right level of expertise and support to explore the application in further detail and contest some of the findings. Tim provided a comprehensive analysis of the assessments and reports that had been submitted as part of the Town Centre planning process, andprepared a 29-page report that formed a solid basis to challenge the proposed CPO. Moreover, his enthusiasm and keenness to work collaboratively with counterparts at Hoare Lea and RBA Acoustics, meant that a path to satisfactory outcome for Corsica could be found.

Having survived numerous hardships and challenges over the years, this was by far Corsica Studios’ biggest battle to date, and we firmly believe that Tim and Suono were instrumental to our survival. The support of RBA Acoustics was invaluable, enabling Southwark to understand the complexities of the case and encouraging Hoare Lea to reconsider their position. Hoare Lea should also be commended for being willing to reconsider their position, and for guiding their client toward a more open dialog. However, it is my view that Corsica Studios will live on because of the support and expertise of Suono; they are a credit to the acoustic consultancy industry, and I would not hesitate to recommend them.

Small venues across the UK are facing situations like this on an ever-increasing basis and – as important as this work has been for us – I hope that this outcome can lead to a better working process for other venues such as ours who may be facing similar challenges.

Tim and the Suono team have provided us a wide range of acoustic support in recent years, more recently in helping us to navigate the complex issues of our developing urban environment. I always find their approach to be technically robust, yet pragmatic and personable. Suono is a valued partner of Ministry of Sound and The Ministry, and I would not hesitate to recommend them.

I worked with Tim on a complicated matter where we were acting for Corsica Studios (a music venue) who were being faced with a forced relocation from their established home (under a CPO) due to a consented residential scheme nearby.  Tim’s advice was excellent, prompt and focussed, helping us to not only retain Corsica in its existing location but deliver acoustic measures for improvements to the existing structure.  I would have no hesitation recommending Tim to anyone who is looking for professional and informed acoustic advice.

Acoustic conditions around the new Courtyard project have met our requirements perfectly, and I cannot overstate the importance of Tim’s role in delivering this success. We much enjoyed working with Tim Street and the team from Cole Jarman.

In 2020 we refurbished, extended and renovated our 180 year old church building, Holy Trinity. The space was developed to embrace the rich heritage of the original building whilst at the same time building a contemporary and cutting edge hub for the local community.

The sanctuary itself is used in many different ways for modern worship, for coral societies, youth events and more reflective services. From an acoustic perspective we needed a solution that would meet this wide ranging set of needs, serving not only our church congregation but the multiple community groups that use the space. 

Richard and Tim did an amazing job helping us work through our needs. They provided a high level of professional consultation and informal conversation which led to delivering an acoustic solution that has enabled us to confidently use the building in numerous different ways. It retains that classic Church ambience whilst offering an amazing venue for live music both modern and traditional. Their approachability and depth of experience meant they were a pleasure to work with and we are delighted in the outcome.

Tim enabled us to keep the college open at full capacity even throughout the noisiest periods of construction, and were critical in meeting our party wall obligations. Tim’s knowledge and expertise was invaluable at every stage.