ANYONE who has tried to redevelop a listed building will have no doubt found themselves tied up in red tape.

Planning regulations are notoriously complex and when the Jesus Army was given the go ahead for its multi-million pound Northampton centre, it wasn't without conditions.

Above everything else, the organisation had to give assurances it would retain the building's 1930s style.

Originally opened in 1936 as the Savoy while many buildings of that period were built in an art deco style, the cinema was designed with another concept, streamline moderne, in mind.

Although a close cousin of art deco, streamline moderne was more basic, preferring long, sweeping curves to flamboyant flourishes or sharp angles and while vandals had done their best to wreak havoc in the building, many of the original features were preserved.

"The first thing we noticed was all the lights were hidden, displacing light and creating a very soft effect," said Jesus Army elder John Campbell.

"It's a great feature and something we're keen to keep.

"It had stood empty since 1995 and the council wanted to turn it into a huge bar and nightclub until English Heritage objected.

"It just so happened we were looking for a big facility as a place of worship, though in the beginning we never dreamed we would get a place like this."

As things have turned out, the streamline moderne style works perfectly with the Jesus Army's vision of how it wants the centre to look. All the original stylistic features, the curved walls, high arches, decorative ridges and hidden lights, will be retained.

"The curved walls especially are very much streamline moderne," said Mr Campbell.

"We're trying to renovate the building in a way that lets it speak for itself.

"All the decorating will be quite low-key to help draw out the features and any building work will be sympathetic to its history."

He added: "Cinemas like the Cannon were springing up all over the place in the 1930s and when people entered they had to feel like they were buying into something special and out of the ordinary.

"We want to capture that feeling of expectation people experience when they first enter, so really the building's style is perfect for what we are trying to achieve.

Source: Northampton Chronicle & Echo