Christian hall plan for field turned down (From Worcester News)

Christian hall plan for field turned down

8:30pm Monday 12th October 2009

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PLANS to build a Christian gospel hall on a field at the city boundary have again been thrown out.

Worcester City Council planning committee were “minded to refuse” permission by a majority vote for the large hall which would be used by the evangelical Christian group the Brethren. Planning officers had recommended approval of the application on the 1.1 hectare site.

The group wants to buld a 25ft tall (8m) single-storey chapel with car parking on a field in Swinesherd Way, just by the Nunnery Way roundabout, to replace their current hall in Diglis Lane.

They argued the location of the Diglis site had made access difficult and had tried to design a new building “sympathetic” to the rural location. Councillors were given a demonstration of the Brethren’s current traffic diffuculties by a highways officer but were reminded to consider the application on “its own merits,” by the council’s legal adviser Doreen Porter.

Barry MacKenzie Williams said protecting the green area and rural “vista” on the city’s boundaries was too important to allow the development.

“I see no reason at all to breach our policy of protecting this area from development,” he told fellow planners. “I shall be voting against.”

When the plans last came to committee in September, councillors turned it down on grounds it would extend the city boundary and offer no new services to residents other than to Brethren church members.

Councillor Pat Agar said the fact the group were “relatively exclusive” should not count against their application.

The Brethren expected to use the chapel for about an hour daily – more on Sundays – for Bible, prayer and religious meetings and events.

Councillors agreed they were “minded to refuse” the application by eight votes, with four against.

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