1 week Ago
Permission has been granted to construct a new church in the Sussex countryside. Arun District Council has approved plans to build a two-storey church with a capacity for 340 people, along with a car park. The application relates to a site on Yapton Lane, between the villages of Yapton and Walberton.
The development will replace existing temporary structures, including a marquee, which are currently in use until later this year. The church will feature a large hall with a stage, a side hall, a kitchen and dining area, a nursery, an office, and three upstairs classrooms, as well as a 93-space car park. The existing access road will be widened in two places with a passing place added.
A drawing of the proposed new church (Image: Knight Consulting) Despite gaining approval, the proposal faced objections from Walberton Parish Council, who argued the site was not allocated for such development. They raised concerns about potential flooding from surface water due to the amount of hard surfacing, and flooding from foul drainage due to insufficient local capacity. The parish council also highlighted potential harm to the setting of the Grade I listed St Mary's Church in Walberton, the conservation area, and the amenity value of the adjacent allotments in terms of visual impact and noise.
Highway safety concerns were also raised, especially regarding the interaction of pedestrians and vehicles entering or leaving the site at similar times. The proposed internal layout, with 339 seats (Image: Knight Consulting) However, Arun District Council's planning report noted the northern site boundary is about 330 metres from the edge of the conservation area and about 530 metres from the curtilage of St Mary's Church. Four letters of support were received, citing the need to replace the existing facilities, which were deemed too small.
The supporters, though none were residents of Walberton or Yapton, also noted the site's convenient location and ample parking space, the positive travel plan, and said there was increased demand for Christian worship places in the area. The church will be occupied by Yapton Free Church, an evangelical Christian group currently operating from a small 19th century church in Yapton. According to their website: "We believe that all mankind is lost in sin and need to turn from it and trust personally in the Savior, Jesus Christ.
All need to be born anew by the Holy Spirit's power into God's family." They are part of Catch the Fire, "a global network of churches and ministries who exist to see the nations filled with churches walking in God’s love, and giving it away, until the whole world knows God’s glory"..
